At first there were three and now there's only one. For around a decade Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting were the dominant batsmen in world cricket, but following Ponting's retirement announcement, the Indian maestro will now stand alone. While Tendulkar might still be upright, he's no longer dominating attacks. It'll be interesting to see if Ponting's announcement has any affect on Tendulkar's future.

Ponting's decision to retire was like one of his punched on-drives - well timed. He gets the opportunity to have a final fond farewell and the selectors can then introduce a younger player into the batting order to face Sri Lanka's moderate attack.

For much of his career Ponting has been a top-class player and the lynchpin of Australia's batting. If he took charge of the opposition bowlers Australia generally won, because he scored heavily and at a quick rate. If the opposition took Ponting's wicket early, they were buoyant and felt like they had a chance to win.

In recent times Ponting has remained a danger player for the opposition but the two Michaels, Clarke and Hussey, have surpassed him in the pecking order. Ponting's decline was partly age-related but it was also hastened because he allowed himself to be talked out of batting at No. 3.

Some players are born to bat in a prime position and Ponting, from his sprigs to the airhole in his helmet, was a No. 3. The moment he acquiesced to a move down the order, he was admitting there were some doubts creeping into his mind. Though he came into the South Africa series with plenty of runs under his belt, those doubts arose again after a couple of failures.

Ponting will be remembered as one of Australia's finest batsmen. He'll also be admired for the way he played the game. He was fiercely combative, and everything he did on the field, whether it was batting or captaining, was done with the purest of aims: to help win the match for his team.

Ponting declared before the start of this international season that he would know when the right time to go came. He was true to his word and left before it got to the stage where each new innings had his team-mates on tenterhooks hoping this would be the one where he broke out of a lean trot.

On the other hand Tendulkar, almost two years older, has the Indian population waiting with bated breath for him to brush aside a slump. Tendulkar's decline has gathered speed since he began to concern himself more with the statistical side of batting rather than constantly seeking to make match-winning contributions. The accumulation of centuries became his search for the Holy Grail, but it hasn't resulted in anything like the joy provided by Monty Python and the gang.

No player is indispensable and the Indian selectors should know better than most. That wonderful servant Rahul Dravid has been adequately replaced at No. 3 by Cheteshwar Pujara.

The Indian selectors have no excuse for not hastening the succession process. They have had the choice of a number of ready-made young replacements. Australia would willingly trade one of their prominent young fast bowlers for a choice from the skilful group of batsmen that includes the likes of Rohit Sharma and Unmukt Chand.

Part of being a good selector is about giving a young player the best chance to succeed. Promoting him when he's in prime form is an obvious move but other, more subtle, decisions can also lead to a successful conclusion - like selecting the player to debut at a favoured ground or against lesser opposition.

When it comes to ageing star players, the selectors can maintain the status quo and know that sooner or later their indecision will be vindicated when the champion finally posts a score. However, in the meantime young players will be denied an opportunity and eventually their "right moment" will pass.

India is fortunate to have skilful young replacements but there's more chance the Dalai Lama will be replaced than Tendulkar moved aside. It's up to Tendulkar to replicate Ponting's decision and make sure the timing of his retirement is as exquisite as one of his flowing cover drives.

Former Australia captain Ian Chappell is now a cricket commentator and columnist

Funny how any aussie never talks about Sri lankan - Sanath Jayasuriya... It should have begun with there were four players.

POSTED BY
on | December 5, 2012, 2:09 GMT

@Smith Robertson...You are one hilarious guy..centuries against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh & Namibia doesn't count??? hahaha..fine, lets do a count of centuries for Sachin's contemporaries like Ponting, Kallis & Lara (fantastic batsmen all three were,no doubts!!) and then take away the centuries they might have made against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh & Namibia, if they made one, that is (not sure if they were even able to make one against these teams in the first place)..n then see,where the whole century table stands! Have you even scored a 50 against one of the school teams you had played with (let alone a century), before you give yourself the rights to discount Sachin's centuries? OH WAIT!! do you even PLAY cricket? or do you just watch it from your couch and dish out mindless comments?? get a life,mate!! :-)

POSTED BY
on | December 5, 2012, 1:53 GMT

@Argylep...Yes,we agree that Monty could be even a 'world class bowler' in the RIGHT condition, but Sachin had been called 'possibly the Greatest batsman of all time', not because of just his centuries, but also because he was consistently good at smacking the ALMOST PERFECT & UNPLAYABLE balls (which would have got any world class player out) out of the park. If he wasn't able to do that, he would've just been any other great batsman. so, having said that, at the moment he is just not able to so the same. As for the second innings ball 'bamboozling' him,lets face it, even Monty didn't know which way that was going. so,pls dont make a joke out of yourself by making it seem like an absolutely well planned and well executed 'genius' ball by talking about the quality of the ball! its like admiring the 'quality' of the full toss that Virat Kohli horribly got out to,in the second innings.

POSTED BY
Jojygeorge
on | December 4, 2012, 23:37 GMT

Ponting had to be pushed out of the ODI team, he never retired himself from ODIs.......this article shows just how biased the Aussies are.

Mr Chappell, we expect you to be neutral when putting out any thing in public.....that is what we respect you for!!

Taking a dig at Sachin while praising Ponting (for what??) does not show you up in good light.....

Sachin has still got it in him to contribute some more runs before he retires unlike Ponting.......we will see this in the next few weeks!!

POSTED BY
Jojygeorge
on | December 4, 2012, 23:19 GMT

No disrespect to Ian Chappell or Ponting, but Ponting should have retired about 18 months ago. It is surprising that Chappell never asked Ponting to look into the mirror and ask himself the question for the past 18 months.....even though he wanted Sachin to do so in 2007!!

Just to confirm that SRT is a cut above Lara, Ponting and Kallis here is a stunning statistic to confirm it.....in test matches SRT averages 54.74 overseas and 54.42 at home, Ponting averages 45.81 overseas and almost 56.00 at home, Kallos averages 53.80 overseas and 60.00 at home and Lara averages 47.80 overseas and 58.65 at home. Just shows that Ponting, Kallis and Lara tend to bulk up their averages at home but do not perform as well overseas, however these important facts gets covered up by their overall averages!!

Also, while SRT averages more than 40 against all the test playing countries Lara averages less than 40 against India and Kallis averages less than 40 against Sri Lankaa

POSTED BY
SFGoldenGate
on | December 4, 2012, 22:47 GMT

@ patz101, Yes. i agree with you as you mentioned the bowlers contribution. Most of the Sachin fan do not do that. In reality, there is no superhero who can win matches alone but Lara's 153 and Laxmans 281 is almost near to super heroic. As you mentioned, Sachin scored hundred in MCG 1999 but IND lost that match and series. A 100 was not sufficient there. He scored hundred in Perth 1992 but Ind lost that match too. Lara also scored two double hundreds in AUS against the good AUS attack, and Sachin fans still hails Perth 1992 in such a way that nobody in human history ever did such a thing. That is the difference, one is hailed as God and others are treated as normal. Lara's 153 was almost without help and also in the 4th innings. You mentioned Walsh's help :) , but that help I think makes Lara human. At least, you are more reasonable than most other Indian fans. Best of luck btw for the Kolkata test. I like Pujara, I hope he shines like Lax 281. Lastly, I am from South Africa.

POSTED BY
on | December 4, 2012, 19:05 GMT

No disrespect Sachin 100s against teams like Namibia, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh etc doesn't count. It was so funny though when he achieved his overall 100 in a losing cause :D

POSTED BY
Thamara
on | December 4, 2012, 17:25 GMT

I think this is the right time for Sachin to retire from international cricket. He is not certainly as good as he used to be. His footwork and reflexes are getting weak. He tends to miss straight balls these days. Ponting did the right thing by choosing this series to retire. People in India still want Sachin to play test cricket. I don't know why. He is just a name now. He is probably one of the best batsmen ever. It is important that he leaves that image in people's minds by retiring at the correct time. He himself should make a decision to retire before selectors ask him to retire.

POSTED BY
jmoses
on | December 4, 2012, 14:50 GMT

Chappell is at it again, but this time he couldn't have found a better timing to express his views on Sachin. With his latest analysis he joins the bandwagon that is after Sachin to hang up his boots and he has a good case to make this time. Indian cricket has moved beyond Sachin with the talented and success hungry players making into the side. We can't even dream of selectors asking him to retire because such is his authority on Indian cricket. The best decision one could take on his career is Sachin himself. He has to measure his performance over the last 12 months and see if he is making any impact in the team and if he's not he should honestly move aside making way to younger batsman. My gut feeling is after this series he will take a call on his career and he told the same on of the television interviews couple of months back.

POSTED BY
g.narsimha
on | December 4, 2012, 14:10 GMT

alex-400 - ialways found u r coments similar to our friends across the boarder , like ind bashares i dont think u r memory line just struck on our 2 away loses , check the stats still our team is far better when compared to other teams from this region , we have been on top & now on rebuilding process , tell at present which team from this region is havins a bowler with 150+, baring those 2 tours our team performed in those places on erlier tours , iam eagerly waiting the SL TOUR OF AUS & MOST IMPORTANTLY PAK TOPUR TO SA .

POSTED BY
Emperador
on | December 5, 2012, 16:19 GMT

Funny how any aussie never talks about Sri lankan - Sanath Jayasuriya... It should have begun with there were four players.

POSTED BY
on | December 5, 2012, 2:09 GMT

@Smith Robertson...You are one hilarious guy..centuries against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh & Namibia doesn't count??? hahaha..fine, lets do a count of centuries for Sachin's contemporaries like Ponting, Kallis & Lara (fantastic batsmen all three were,no doubts!!) and then take away the centuries they might have made against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh & Namibia, if they made one, that is (not sure if they were even able to make one against these teams in the first place)..n then see,where the whole century table stands! Have you even scored a 50 against one of the school teams you had played with (let alone a century), before you give yourself the rights to discount Sachin's centuries? OH WAIT!! do you even PLAY cricket? or do you just watch it from your couch and dish out mindless comments?? get a life,mate!! :-)

POSTED BY
on | December 5, 2012, 1:53 GMT

@Argylep...Yes,we agree that Monty could be even a 'world class bowler' in the RIGHT condition, but Sachin had been called 'possibly the Greatest batsman of all time', not because of just his centuries, but also because he was consistently good at smacking the ALMOST PERFECT & UNPLAYABLE balls (which would have got any world class player out) out of the park. If he wasn't able to do that, he would've just been any other great batsman. so, having said that, at the moment he is just not able to so the same. As for the second innings ball 'bamboozling' him,lets face it, even Monty didn't know which way that was going. so,pls dont make a joke out of yourself by making it seem like an absolutely well planned and well executed 'genius' ball by talking about the quality of the ball! its like admiring the 'quality' of the full toss that Virat Kohli horribly got out to,in the second innings.

POSTED BY
Jojygeorge
on | December 4, 2012, 23:37 GMT

Ponting had to be pushed out of the ODI team, he never retired himself from ODIs.......this article shows just how biased the Aussies are.

Mr Chappell, we expect you to be neutral when putting out any thing in public.....that is what we respect you for!!

Taking a dig at Sachin while praising Ponting (for what??) does not show you up in good light.....

Sachin has still got it in him to contribute some more runs before he retires unlike Ponting.......we will see this in the next few weeks!!

POSTED BY
Jojygeorge
on | December 4, 2012, 23:19 GMT

No disrespect to Ian Chappell or Ponting, but Ponting should have retired about 18 months ago. It is surprising that Chappell never asked Ponting to look into the mirror and ask himself the question for the past 18 months.....even though he wanted Sachin to do so in 2007!!

Just to confirm that SRT is a cut above Lara, Ponting and Kallis here is a stunning statistic to confirm it.....in test matches SRT averages 54.74 overseas and 54.42 at home, Ponting averages 45.81 overseas and almost 56.00 at home, Kallos averages 53.80 overseas and 60.00 at home and Lara averages 47.80 overseas and 58.65 at home. Just shows that Ponting, Kallis and Lara tend to bulk up their averages at home but do not perform as well overseas, however these important facts gets covered up by their overall averages!!

Also, while SRT averages more than 40 against all the test playing countries Lara averages less than 40 against India and Kallis averages less than 40 against Sri Lankaa

POSTED BY
SFGoldenGate
on | December 4, 2012, 22:47 GMT

@ patz101, Yes. i agree with you as you mentioned the bowlers contribution. Most of the Sachin fan do not do that. In reality, there is no superhero who can win matches alone but Lara's 153 and Laxmans 281 is almost near to super heroic. As you mentioned, Sachin scored hundred in MCG 1999 but IND lost that match and series. A 100 was not sufficient there. He scored hundred in Perth 1992 but Ind lost that match too. Lara also scored two double hundreds in AUS against the good AUS attack, and Sachin fans still hails Perth 1992 in such a way that nobody in human history ever did such a thing. That is the difference, one is hailed as God and others are treated as normal. Lara's 153 was almost without help and also in the 4th innings. You mentioned Walsh's help :) , but that help I think makes Lara human. At least, you are more reasonable than most other Indian fans. Best of luck btw for the Kolkata test. I like Pujara, I hope he shines like Lax 281. Lastly, I am from South Africa.

POSTED BY
on | December 4, 2012, 19:05 GMT

No disrespect Sachin 100s against teams like Namibia, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh etc doesn't count. It was so funny though when he achieved his overall 100 in a losing cause :D

POSTED BY
Thamara
on | December 4, 2012, 17:25 GMT

I think this is the right time for Sachin to retire from international cricket. He is not certainly as good as he used to be. His footwork and reflexes are getting weak. He tends to miss straight balls these days. Ponting did the right thing by choosing this series to retire. People in India still want Sachin to play test cricket. I don't know why. He is just a name now. He is probably one of the best batsmen ever. It is important that he leaves that image in people's minds by retiring at the correct time. He himself should make a decision to retire before selectors ask him to retire.

POSTED BY
jmoses
on | December 4, 2012, 14:50 GMT

Chappell is at it again, but this time he couldn't have found a better timing to express his views on Sachin. With his latest analysis he joins the bandwagon that is after Sachin to hang up his boots and he has a good case to make this time. Indian cricket has moved beyond Sachin with the talented and success hungry players making into the side. We can't even dream of selectors asking him to retire because such is his authority on Indian cricket. The best decision one could take on his career is Sachin himself. He has to measure his performance over the last 12 months and see if he is making any impact in the team and if he's not he should honestly move aside making way to younger batsman. My gut feeling is after this series he will take a call on his career and he told the same on of the television interviews couple of months back.

POSTED BY
g.narsimha
on | December 4, 2012, 14:10 GMT

alex-400 - ialways found u r coments similar to our friends across the boarder , like ind bashares i dont think u r memory line just struck on our 2 away loses , check the stats still our team is far better when compared to other teams from this region , we have been on top & now on rebuilding process , tell at present which team from this region is havins a bowler with 150+, baring those 2 tours our team performed in those places on erlier tours , iam eagerly waiting the SL TOUR OF AUS & MOST IMPORTANTLY PAK TOPUR TO SA .

POSTED BY
on | December 4, 2012, 13:10 GMT

@argylep....i never suggested that ashwin is on par with sachin...pls think before you type...it was just a hyperbole...i have been a sachin fan since 1994 since i saw him bat for the first time in an odi against kiwis..but now when i watch him bat sometimes i wonder if i am watching the same player that i used to imitate when i used to bat....honestly i think sachin has underachieved..playing for 23 years with his kind of talent he should have scored around 130 hundreds in tests and odis combined..and averaged above 60 in tests and around 50 in odis...and in the last few years he hasnt played well enuf to be in the side...only bcoz hes an indian he is still playing..australia would have dropped him 5 years ago if he was an aussie...

POSTED BY
argylep
on | December 4, 2012, 12:31 GMT

@ Parry Singh. I think you must have been watching a different test match?
Monty Panesar is NOT a 'half decent' bowler. In the right conditions he is a
very, very, good one as Tendulkar found out in both innings. By common
consent his first dismissal was to an almost pefect (& unplayable) delivery
that would have got ANY world class batsman out. The fact that SRT got it at
the end of his career is incidental - it would have dismissed him at any stage of
it - and it highlighted his inevitable (& now seemingly irreversible) decline. The
second time he was out was also to a equally good delivery; he was just
deceived & bamboozled by the quality of it. To suggest that Ashwin(?) would
have played both balls differently and by your definition have survived them is
a joke not only to SRT himself but also to Panesar as well as one thing is for
sure Ashwin is not in the same class as him as both their respective test stats
suggest.

POSTED BY
jay57870
on | December 4, 2012, 11:49 GMT

TIME compared Tendulkar's performance vs his nearest cricket rival Ponting & concluded he led by a "margin wider than the gap between the 2 top scorers in other major sports (US football, ice-hockey, basketball & baseball)"! TIME proclaimed: "his ability to carry it for more than 22 years while utterly dominating his sport makes a good case that Tendulkar is the world's greatest athlete"! Such third party analyses must irk Chappell & his ilk! Bestowing Sachin the Order of Australia must have rankled them even more. But he takes it all in stride, kudos & rebukes alike. He has this phenomenal Staying Power - that makes him do things out of the ordinary - on the field & off too. Facing this incessant inquisition, Sachin responds matter-of-factly: "Critics haven't taught me my cricket, and they don't know what my body & mind are up to"! He adds: when he feels "unable to serve India, I'll stand down and give it all up"! So please show respect & give the Little Master his space & time, Ian!

POSTED BY
on | December 4, 2012, 11:25 GMT

I damn care whether Ian Chappel is Aussie or Tendulkar is an Indian, the article is well timed. Even the great Kapil has done the same at the end of his career. Such a great player at his time, he has won a world cup but still he has extended his career to get past Richard Hadlee. But one must agree that at that time we had two unique world records, highest test runs (Sunny) and highest test wickets (Kapil). What is the point now Sachin to prove here? To play 200+ tests? Or to secure his test hundreds for long time? Beware Sachin, Jaques Kallis is chasing your test centuries record. Better you play well or retire gracefully. Or else you have to watch when Kallis get past your test centuries record before you retire.

POSTED BY
on | December 4, 2012, 9:04 GMT

the fact of the matter is sachin tendulkar "WAS" a great batsman...not anymore...he is not even an average batsman these days..it pains me no end to see him struggle so badly against half decent bowlers like monty panesar....i donno wot he wants to prove or what he is waiting for...more embarassment maybe?both the balls he got out to in mumbai were nothing special...ashwin would have handled them better...i am afraid at this rate he is gonna fast undo all the hardwork and laurels he has achived all these years..and might end up being remembered only as a selfish stats driven cricketer...

POSTED BY
PhaniBhaskar24
on | December 4, 2012, 8:08 GMT

I really don't understand, " we don't have immediate replacements for sachin & hence should continue playing"...if someone in the world know, who is the immediate replacement for Dravid, Laxman, ganguly before they leave..the statement really looks absurd..Replacement is a process of finding a young man who was tried & tested in domestic circuit...but when does that happen..once a void is created ( i mean if SRT retires)

POSTED BY
Durgasharan
on | December 4, 2012, 8:08 GMT

@rsampat: Your claims are wrong. Iam just giving one example contradicting each of your claims.
1) 103 against England in 2nd innings - India won
2) 114 against England at Old trafford in 2nd innings to save the match; His first century and he was 17 years old.
3) 136 against Pakistan against Akram, Younis and Saqlain. Nobody in top 6 contributed.
4) 114 against Australia at Perth at the age of 19. Perth was really fast in those days.
Please do not malign a player because he is not scoring well. Do not be so petty.

POSTED BY
on | December 4, 2012, 6:38 GMT

well frens sachin is already 39 year old and every player has to call it a day, in the last few test matches he has not performed up to his reputation, he use to get a hundred every 4th test match but he has not score a test hundred since jan 2011 against SA.....i still remember his debut in 1989 and his glorious peak in 90s when he literally used to murder any bowling attack,then he got his back problem in 1999 has adjusted his style. My only wish for Sachin is to come out of his drought and score some runs in the next2 test matches and took retirement in a royal fashion unlike ponting who scored miserable 32 runs in his last 5 innings

POSTED BY
TheOnlyEmperor
on | December 4, 2012, 4:56 GMT

A number of arguments presented by some here are ridiculous. A batsman can't win a match. To win a match, the others have to do their part including get the opposition out twice. A batsman contribution in a team sport is measured on consistency. If you are consistent, then you automatically have a high average and score a number of centuries. SRT scored a number of centuries not because he was given a CHANCE to play long, but because he was consistent in maintaining his averages. Ponting's (and Dravid) average dropped from a high of 57 to a sub 52 by career end...He and others realised that it was time for him to go. There are others who confuse between Ponting's captaincy record and his batting record. One can't confuse one with the other. It's not easy scoring ODI hundreds too. You need to score them at a brisk pace, else you may find yourself in disfavor with the team. Besides, it's not easy to switch gear from Tests to ODIs and vice versa. Guys grow up!

POSTED BY
Jojygeorge
on | December 4, 2012, 4:46 GMT

LillianThomson, It is pretty obvious that you are an Aussie and very frustrated at not finding any Aussies at the top of the batting or bowling charts in Test cricket. if statistics are not a fair yardstick to measure greatness then in that case Bradman is not a great batsman because people measure him by his average of 99 in Tests when it is pretty much clear to everyone that not even Bradman would have averaged more than half of that in the current day and age where cricket is played in so many varied conditions in many countries

Sorry mate....SRT is the best batsman ever by a long margin, please look at the cricinfo records for "Fastest to 10000,11000,12000,13000, 14000" runs in both Test and ODI cricket and see for yourself..

Apart from the Aussies, most of the other cricketing nations rate SRT higher than Bradman and this is coming from an Aussie like myself. So, please accept the fact gracefully instead of crying sour grapes!!

POSTED BY
Jojygeorge
on | December 4, 2012, 4:31 GMT

Mr Chappell, looks like you forgot the numerous match winning innings which Sachin has played almost single handedly for India to win many matches for India....2003 WC versus Pakistan, 2008 Bangalore test versus England, 1998-99 test series against Australia in India, ODI double hundred to win the match for India, 1998 Sharjah final versus Australia, two 2008 CB series finals versus Australia and many many hundreds in hostile conditions to lend some respectability to the Indian totals especially overseas

POSTED BY
LillianThomson
on | December 4, 2012, 4:26 GMT

-PK. You are right, Gilchrist was a good-enough keeper and world-class batsman. He changed the wicketkeeper role forever: Bob Taylor, Wasim Bari or Adnan Akmal are now luxuries whom no team could afford to carry. But whereas Gilchrist, Warne and Wasim Akram are the all-time number ones in their role, no one can seriously argue that Tendulkar is in the all-time Top Ten batsmen. He lies far behind Bradman, Sobers, two Richards', Pollock, Hammond and the three Ws

POSTED BY
Aashishk3
on | December 4, 2012, 3:44 GMT

Since I was about 7 years old, all I heard was how Sachin would completely demolish every country's bowling attacks..... Now Im 16 and all I want to see from Sachin is one more of his monstrous innings!! Then he can hang up his boots! Lol if he can reach it! Haha JK

POSTED BY
vik56in
on | December 4, 2012, 3:32 GMT

@Lilian Thomson,
In 90s in testing bowling conditions and pitches around the word,there were only 3 batsmen averaging 50s in Test cricket.Inzaman's avg was in the 40s,Mark Waugh's avg in the 40s.Those three batsmen were Tendulkar,Steve Waugh and Brian Lara!

POSTED BY
cricmatters
on | December 4, 2012, 2:43 GMT

If Sachin can wind back the clock, the perfect moment for him to retire was after the world cup victory. He always said, winning the world cup meant a lot to him as he worked hard to bring the trophy home in many promising but failed campaigns in the past. He wasted the next two years chasing meaningless milestones like ton of tons. Why combine two different formats of the game? Pointing also should have retired last year after finding some form in the India series which would have allowed him to go on a high. It is always hard for the fans to see their legendary heroes who once used to dominate the game, struggle and fail repeatedly.

POSTED BY
maidenshazza
on | December 4, 2012, 2:24 GMT

I love the mentality of the Aussie selectors, whether it be Ponting or Waugh, Gilchrist or Mcgrath, you don't perform, your out of the team. If only the Indian selectors would put the Indian team before individuals. Having said that, try convincing the Indian public that SRT hasn't done anything in the last few seasons to warrant his place in the team.. All they see is the hundred 100's, and think that he should stay in the team till he's 60.

POSTED BY
timmyw
on | December 4, 2012, 1:48 GMT

@GrtIndia_Ann - I'm sorry, but I must respectfully disagree. I have watched every series since the late 80's here in Australia. I never felt Tendulkar dominated any series despite his stats (with the exception of the CB (ODI) series a few years a go.) In fact I was more in awe of Dravid. Brian Lara I held in much higher esteem. Not because I dislike Tendulkar he is a master of modern cricket I just think the hype machine rates him too highly. He has never really dominated a series anywhere in fact from what I can glean from the stats, and from me watching series all over the world. These days his feet move too slowly, he is getting bowled far too often. That never used to happen, it's a really bad sign and I fear it's time for him to hang up his boots. I understand Indians love him and I do too, but unfortunately, it's time to move on.

POSTED BY
__PK
on | December 4, 2012, 1:29 GMT

LillianThomson - you can't really think Gilchrist is the greatest keeper ever. Perhaps the best keeper-batsman. Your post is an insult to anyone who regards keeping as a skill in its own right, rather than just an excuse to play seven batsmen.

POSTED BY
rssampat
on | December 4, 2012, 1:23 GMT

@ SRT fans: You can prove anything with statistics. Stat's tell us how great a player SRT is, how he has the most centuries,but fact tell us really how poor a big-match player he is. Not a single century chasing in the 4th to win, not a single century in the 4th, fighting to save the test in a rear guard action, not a single century in a stand alone fight when all are crumbling around him & hardly a couple of them when India are less than 50/2. Not a single century that turned the match on it's head with aggressive batting in difficult match-in-balance situation, yet he is considered the greatest batsmen.
Biggest joke that Cricket Statistics has played.
He has scored most of his run's when India are well placed and rarely when in trouble. Despite 20+ years in Intl Cricket, no really Heroic Knocks, just big scores in meaningless draws and no great innings like Lara's, Laxman's, Dravid, Kalli's, Jayawardene who have inning's that tilted the games for their teams single handedly.

POSTED BY
Canadian123
on | December 4, 2012, 1:02 GMT

Mr.Chappell writes that Ponting "timed" his retirement right and Tendulkar is bogged down by stats.

First, on the timing: Here are the averages for each year from cricinfo for the last 6 years for both the men in question.
Ponting:38.40, 47.28, 38.77, 36.95, 31.92, 45.53
Tendulkar: 55.42, 48.31, 67.62, 78.10, 47.25, 22.83

Agreed that Tendulkar has had a very bad slump of late, but the nos show who has had a very long rope.

Second, on the stats: So, after looking at this prolonged slump (for around 6 years) of Ponting, may I argue that he was hanging around just to get that glorified "only man with 100" test wins tag? In other words "Stats"!!!

Finally, 4 years back Mr. Ian Biased Chappell wrote a scathing article about Tendulkar to look in the mirror and retire. It was followed by some great achievements by the little master. Wish Tendulkar does it one last time before he leaves.

POSTED BY
CricketFreud
on | December 3, 2012, 23:33 GMT

chappell's article in 2007: http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/story/287897.html
then came the amzaing 2008-2010 period for sachin.. not to forget the wc 2011!! even the wildest dreams in 2007 could not have predicted that.. this article looks to have been written with absolutely no thought given to ponting's slump period in the past 2 years, and so has a complete aussie bias.. for god's sake, ponting was dropped from the ODI side !!
all this talk about milestone chasing, tell me which batsman in the world doesn't celebrate a century ? who thinks 99 is the same as a 100 ? i don't think anybody can argue about the nerves and mental hurdles one faces in the 90s.. thats why the 100th 100 was all the more elusive and nerve-racking, thanks to the hype by the media.. to blame it on sachin just because he has the most is plain ridiculous....

POSTED BY
BravoBravo
on | December 3, 2012, 23:31 GMT

@LillianThomson: I like your articulate comment. I couldn't agree more with you as you said "They delivered more quantity than quality". However, I upgrade Ponting and Lara a bit, they are/were the match winners single handedly.

POSTED BY
Abhijeet2083
on | December 3, 2012, 22:23 GMT

I have a problem when someone says Ponting timed his retirement correct. His past 2 year average in Tests & ODIs is 37, 33 respectively. Its no where near Aussie standards, leave along Ponting standards. Also was almost booted out of One Day version. I feel he dragged himself a bit too much.

POSTED BY
on | December 3, 2012, 22:18 GMT

@LillianThomson: Right! That brings me to write my first ever response on this website. Anyone who says Tendulkar provided quantity not quality should accept that they have another agenda. Unfortunately, one thing cricinfo stats do not provide is the percentage occupation of seats and viewership numbers when a batsman is batting. The delight this person has provided to millions of cricket followers cannot be measured in quantity. The incredibly focussed attitude to the game is an example in itself. The flair and desire for shot making should, to a knowledgeable follower, decree a joy in playing the game rather than follow statistics. I do not think I could enter into a debate as to who was the best, however it is clear some are head and shoulders above the others. Hats off too, to the one with one of the best straight drives and pull shot ever.

POSTED BY
SASANK360
on | December 3, 2012, 22:02 GMT

In wake of the criticism on Sachin by some of you guys, saying Sachin is not match winner, I would like to mention a few points.....
Sachin deserves a lot of respect and so do all the other Indian batting greats like Dravid,VVS,Sehwag.
Here is the reason why...
Ponting,Lara,Kallis had the luxury of playing along side best fast bowling attacks for most part of their careers.
Where as Indian batsmen like Sachin were cursed to play along side most toothless attack if not impotent attack.
This creates additional burder of scoring tons of runs as cushion for and inept bowling. This is the reason why India lost many games despite good batting efforts. Also I do not take away any credit from Lara,Kallis and Ponting.
Just letting you know some facts.

POSTED BY
GoldenAsif
on | December 3, 2012, 21:38 GMT

Ponting's form has been on a clear decline for a good 18-24 months (cf. Sachin). He should have seen the writing on the wall and bowed out on a high after performing better than expected against India at home last year

Lara retired at his peak (could have easily carried on playing tests for another 2-2.5 years). Same cannot be said about either Ponting or Sachin (if and when the time comes). The ideal moment for Sachin to retire was the 2011 WC triumph but I guess he must go on until he has achieved a few more personal milestone of 200 tests. One must ask if India's obsession with personal milestones is holding back the team?

Sadly Ponting saved his worst performances for his farewell series - 32 runs in 5 innings at 6.40

A great player nevertheless. In his prime one of the best players of pace bowling, a great puller . One of the best of the modern era

POSTED BY
InnocentGuy
on | December 3, 2012, 19:23 GMT

SRT is a great player. And I, if not we, would like it if he retire on a high. It makes a great player seem even greater. But it's alright if you retire on a low. Not everyone is lucky enough to retire on a high and to retire when you are on a high isn't really 'making your own luck'. That said, I don't know what SRT is thinking. There was and probably no better point than retiring at the end of WC 2011. It was his lifelong dream, everyone was genuinely happy for him and he would have been edified as the epitome of Indian cricket. But he didn't. Now he has also mentioned that he has let the selectors take a call. Which is basically shifting responsibility: the selectors can never drop him and expect to survive the enraged public. So they will keep having him on the team and SRT can keep telling everyone that it was the selectors' call and not his. For how long can this go on? I have no idea. It's just denial at play. And it is very sad.

POSTED BY
sibiburhan
on | December 3, 2012, 18:39 GMT

Thier is no one have such experience in cricket as sachin have.! He is having highest runs..more number of matches he played..rather than any analyst he is the best person to review his ability. Our concern is he is not tired of playing cricket. he loves it ,All life he dedicated for indian cricket. We should give the freedom to him to decide! Thier are 11 players available in cricket,why dont they think about the other 10 players ..rather than thinking about a legend!All people - Gavasker,kapil dev,etc didnt play more matches as sachin played.

Its easy to do analysis sitting out ...We all love sachin's play..Till his health allows..till his passion remains in the cricket..he should continue...scoring more runs...!Wishing all the best to sachin for upcoming matches!

POSTED BY
on | December 3, 2012, 18:01 GMT

I completely agree with you @Anuvrat Chaturvedi . The stats are there for everyone to see. Ponting has really been pathetic in the last 2 years and it's chappell biased opinion to say that he has timed his retirement well. His average has dropped from 57 to 52.

POSTED BY
patz101
on | December 3, 2012, 17:40 GMT

@SFGoldenGate Mate I think you forgotten some of sachins classic. Century at MCG 1999 when the whole team gets bowled out for 238 including the great trinity. Century vs australia at 1992 WACA when most of the team cant even get past 10. Classic match winning centuries vs Australia and England in Chennai. Centuries at Southafrica 2011 when the most of the team could not even stand against steyn on song. The biggest irony is when sachin makes good scores the bowlers concedes 400-600 runs in the innings. Whereas Laxmans 281 sachin took three wickets. Similarly it was agarkar and sachin the unsung bowling heroes who reduced australia to 196 during dravids 233 match winning hundred. Imagine if walsh got out then lara 153 would be in vain too. Conclusion is testmatch Victory depends on the bowlers to back it up. when sachin plays single handed knock the bowling becomes impotent. When bowlers are potent sachin knocks were counted in victory

POSTED BY
blogossip
on | December 3, 2012, 17:06 GMT

Only reason sachin is still playing is he's Indian. he should retire as he would be remembered as an all time great rather than have a dark chapter in his biography where his retirement is mentioned as a controversy. Sorry but ageing is something no one can escape and his failures are primarily due to that.Even Ponting would have scored a couple of centuries if he would have played for two years but that would have served no purpose. so sachin put Indian cricket foremost and gracefully retire!

POSTED BY
cricket-india
on | December 3, 2012, 16:45 GMT

guys, take all the arguments everyone ever came up with to justify their demands that dravid and vvs shoulkd retire. apply them to sachin and if he checks all the boxes, the guy has to go, right???

POSTED BY
SFGoldenGate
on | December 3, 2012, 16:25 GMT

@ GrtIndia_Ann, No, we are not forgetting that Lara was inconsistent. But if someone needs to score 150 in fourth innings Lara, Laxman, Dravids are the man. When you need 100's from your great batsman and he scores 50's you can call him consistent but in the same time his consistent 50ish 70ish or 120is scores fell well short of expectation and failed to put any impact on the match result. Thats why Lara has 11 man of the match from 131 test where Sachin has 14 from 190+. Another good example is Michale Clarke's form in the current AUS-SA series that ended yesterday. His double hundreds are in vain because it did not come in Perth when it really mattered. Clarke is consistent 100+ average in series but his contribution did not impact anything. Just see Sachins big hundreds , 241 in Sydney for example, Ind scored 705 and many batters from both team scored hundreds on that pitch. When David Warner scored 180 against India in Perth , nobody in the match scored even 80, thats the x factor

POSTED BY
itsthewayuplay
on | December 3, 2012, 16:25 GMT

@chin-music (December 03 2012, 10:27 AM GMT) you are partially correct that Tendulkar and Ponting reflect their respective cricketing cultures. They probably reflect their respective country's cultures but in Tendulkar's case, opinion is split between his die-hard, Sachin is the greatest batsman to have played the game, no-one can tell him when to retire etc fans and fans that want all players to be chosen on merit of current form. Another difference is that there was a real possibility that Cricket Australia would have taken the very difficult to drop Ponting, supposedly Australia'a greatest batsman since The Don his poor form had continued. Whereas it's unlikely the BCCI will ever drop Tendulkar on form although commercial interests also plays a part. In addition I believe Ponting probably wasn't sure whether his poor form was temporary or Father time calling whereas arrogance is a one of several factors in Tendulkar's decision to continue.

POSTED BY
kaarthikraaj
on | December 3, 2012, 15:51 GMT

Mr Chappel,if you have said that Ponting has timed his retirement perfectly,i doubt it.I think he was not playing well for the last 4 yrs with the exception of the series against Indians in Australia.During his last few yrs as captain he was not playing well and then they stripped the captaincy then he lasted for last one and half yrs under clarke's captaincy without contributing much.So ideally i would say he should have retired 2 yrs back.So i dont agree that Ponting has timed his retirement perfectly.
Coming to sachin topic,Sachin was so good till the last year mid and in the first two tests and he was not in his elements this year.So ideally sachin is a failure only this year and its unfair to compare both

Has Ponting timed his retirement well? NO. And all those Sachin bashers should see that Sachin has averaged 38.48 in his last 20 test matches compared to Ponting's 33.17. Ofcourse criticizing on Sachin's performance would never stop as he is always in the limelight.

POSTED BY
on | December 3, 2012, 14:25 GMT

@ Lillian Thomon lasting while performing in itself is 1 of the most important aspects of greatness. If not then why is Lillee rated so highly? because despite his back problems he lasted & outlasted Jeff Thomson who had he lasted might have been a much better bowler. Ian Bishop was rated by many as being able to be better than Maco but unfurtunately his back could not last. If Dale Steyn 's careers ends now will be b considered a great?

POSTED BY
The_Ashes
on | December 3, 2012, 14:00 GMT

He no doubt was a top class batsman but scoring a 100 100 against minnows Bangladesh especially in a losing cause says it all. Unless he wants to target 200 test matches which he rightfully can, I think its about time to give the youngsters a chance given how many quality youngsters India has instead of picking which series to play in and not, it just doesn't make sense.

POSTED BY
SatyajitM
on | December 3, 2012, 13:36 GMT

@LillianThomson, Gilchrist 'best-ever keeper', don't make me laugh! Gilly was just a good keeper. Warne used to miss Ian Healy big time as he was better keeper than Gilly. Gilly was well regarded for batting capability at the position he batted. So, would you get into even rarer group of 'best-ever keeper cum explosive batsman' (as he was neither best keeper nor best explosive batsman). Similarly I can coin a term for Sehwag 'best-ever-fast scoring opener in test' :-) Please don't break your head over such minute categories. Akram and Warne were greats in their areas and they figure in ICC all time eleven, just like Sachin does. On the other hand Ponting didn't even make all time eleven for Australia. No doubt he was a very good player but not at Sachin's level. Also, I am not able to understand why 2010 and 2011 doesn't count for anything for Sachin, while for everybody including Ricky past repuation did count.

POSTED BY
Al_Bundy1
on | December 3, 2012, 13:14 GMT

Excellent analysis by @LillianThomson - Tendulkar never was, and never will be a match winner. He's not even a match saver, like Gavaskar. Gavaskar saved India from certain defeat so many times. Tendulkar had a golden opportunity to save India from a white wash in England and Australia, but he couldn't. He just doesn't have the temperament of a Gavaskar or a Miandad. They will be the 2 greatest batsmen from the sub-continent. Tendulkar has quantity but not quality. Heck, if I play for 22 years, I can score that many centuries. Tendulkar also holds the world record for playing in highest number of ODI and test matches where his team lost.

POSTED BY
RakarthIX
on | December 3, 2012, 13:12 GMT

I have never understood why Kallis is never ranked as a modern great. People state that he has never dominated attacks or won South Africa games as the reason. Having just looked at the stats Kallis has 9 Man of Series (MoS) and 23 Man of Match (MoM). Compare this this to Tendulkar 5 MoS and 14 MoM, Lara 4 MoS and 12 MoM and Ponting 4 MoS and 16 MoM. This shows that Kallis clearly has had a lot of match winning performances and dominated attacks (yes some of these will be for his bowling/allround however majority for his batting). The fact is coupled with everything else Kallis brings as a player he averages higher with the bat than any of the rest comfortably. I am English btw so this opinion is from a neutral perspective

POSTED BY
LillianThomson
on | December 3, 2012, 11:39 GMT

Over the last twenty years, I would say that the all-time greats in world cricket were Gilchrist (best-ever keeper), Wasim Akram (best-ever left-arm pacer) and Shane Warne (best-ever spinner). On the next rack down are superb players who are in no way the best ever in their field: Lara, Tendulkar, Kallis, Ponting, Ambrose, Walsh, Murali, Waqar, S Waugh, Sangakkara, Kumble. What really sticks out is that Walsh, Waugh, Kumble and Tendulkar were not greats because they lasted a long time. They were just very good players who broke records not by their brilliance but because they lasted so long. They delivered more quantity than quality.

POSTED BY
GrtIndia_Ann
on | December 3, 2012, 11:31 GMT

@LillianThomson: i pressume sir that ur knowledge of international cricket is very limited .....dis u have any idea about Sachin's performance in testing Australian, SA and Eng conditions...??? Did you just mention that Sachin scored heavily agianst minnows like bangladesh, WI etc...?? this shows ur poor knowledge of cricket....on the contrary sir...Sachin scored heavily aginst Australia (in and out of Australia)....after jack hobbs...no one has dominated Austalia like SAchin did...so ur argument automatically concludes that australia is a mediocre team....just learn something about cricket sir.....

POSTED BY
on | December 3, 2012, 11:04 GMT

I think. its high time..he called it a day and hung his boots....!!!!

POSTED BY
Irsha
on | December 3, 2012, 10:52 GMT

SRT has already past the time for a graceful retirement. If he leaves or let go would not leave him with a good taste. I wish he had timed his last shot well!

POSTED BY
chapathishot
on | December 3, 2012, 10:34 GMT

As the saying goes Indians are emotional and all decisions are made mostly on emotions and not on prudence.Now Let us remove all the other facts I honestly feels that Rohit is as talented as Sachin with a different work ethic.So if Rohit was playing the same number of matches and had the same average do all the guys who are saying that sachin can play on and on will say the same.Sachin has lost it and he has to retire by the end of the series .

POSTED BY
LillianThomson
on | December 3, 2012, 10:33 GMT

There are two errors in the logic of the Tendulkar-apologists. The first is to believe that 2010 or 2011 count for anything now, as if he can turn back the clock. He can't, he no longer has the eye or the coordination or especially the reaction speed. The second is to respect the absurd "100 international centuries" as if a ton in an ODI against Zimbabwe or Bangladesh or NZ or Sri Lanka or West Indies means anything. To get 100 First Class centuries you need to survive against attacking bowling with big slip cordons. ODI centuries are scored against pie-chucking bowlers with defensive fields. I don't think Tendulkar has ever been as good as Kallis or Lara, and having seen Gavaskar's 96 on a raging turner in his last Test I know who I think "The Little Master" is. And it's not Sachin. He used to be a very good batsman, but apart from 2002-10 his career has been a catalogue of defeats.

POSTED BY
chin-music
on | December 3, 2012, 10:27 GMT

Ponting & Tendulkar reflect the mentality of their respective cricketing cultures. For both Ponting & the average Aussie - the most important Ponitng statistic is the over 100 tests wins he participated in ; for Tendulkar & the average Indian, they have no idea how many test SRT won or lost , but everybody can reel off his century count. Even if Ponting had not stepped down - it would have been impossible for Aus selectors to keep carrying a passenger after their home series defeat vs. SA (infact , Ponting probably got even the limited 10-odd test rope he was given primarily because till then the team results were ok ). In contrast, Tendulkar has been given a super generous 25-odd test (& counting ..) rope despite failures - even while the team itself is getting wiped out in every series against tier 1 opposition.

POSTED BY
on | December 3, 2012, 10:08 GMT

Its amazing to see so many people saying SAchin knows best and he will retire when he knows its time etc...what about his performance??? Or are we saying it does not matter whether he scores or not we just let him go on till 'He' thinks its time..I would love to see him bounce back but this logic of letting him decide etc is pure rubbish. Of course every player has a right to decide when to retire but the selection committee also has the right to drop a player if he is not performing. As Ian Chappell said Indian selectors don't have the guts to drop Sachin even if he continues to fail.

POSTED BY
TheOnlyEmperor
on | December 3, 2012, 9:56 GMT

It's amazing how the Aussies like to bracket one of their own with amongst the best in the world while leaving out others. The Aussies will have to be rest content that Ponting will ALWAYS be placed BELOW Rahul Dravid when it comes to career Test average.... After all, they lay great store on the career Test average to make a case for Bradman being the greatest! The fact remains that Ponting was just as good as Rahul and no better which itself is a honor for Ponting! The truly greats of the modern era are without doubt Sachin, Kallis and Lara. The speed with which Sachin reached his 13000 and 14000 deserve mention. Kallis is slower ( number of innings played) than Sachin and yet to cross 13000. Lara was in full bloom after crossing 10000 till his retirement... truly a great player, a big innings player! Ponting shall be forgotten, as Pup, Cook and Amla shine for the next few years!

POSTED BY
on | December 3, 2012, 9:47 GMT

I Don't understand these guys telling sachin to retire were they are the one's who made sachin to learn cricket!

POSTED BY
on | December 3, 2012, 9:24 GMT

Erm, I suppose it's typical of Aussie commentary, but considering that Kallis is still scoring runs for fun, let's call it an 'oversight' that he wasn't included on the list. Whether or not he's the best of his generation is one thing, but not to include Kallis among the modern day batting greats is insulting, although not unexpected considering the source...

POSTED BY
RogerC
on | December 3, 2012, 9:00 GMT

Did Ponting time it right? He retired one match before being dropped.

POSTED BY
Aussasinator
on | December 3, 2012, 8:58 GMT

This is not an unbiased observation by Ian Chappel. Ponting's decline as a batsman has been over the last 4-5 years when he virtually stopped contributing. He lost his security and comfort when great Aussie batsmen around him retired. Moreover, quick bowlers around the world sorted him out around that time. Never a great player under pressure, he should hav been dropped at least 3 years ago. it never happened and Oz cricket batting order paid its price. Even in the current series against South Africe, it was inability to score anything in the middle order which put immense prssure both on the openers and the ones to follow. Probably an important reason why the Oz lost.

POSTED BY
on | December 3, 2012, 8:30 GMT

In India we have a system of late retirement whetehr its azhar or its kapil, only 1 player, anil kumble was able to retire at his peak, Ganguly was always under threat and infact was dropped from the test before his comeback, his comeback was mainly due to failure of yuvraj. Dravid was struggling badly before England tour and he was lucky that pujara was injured during that period, and his performance against Eng had extended his tenure that results in simultaneous retirement of 2 legends laxman & dravid. Now we r talking a lot about sachin's retirement,ideally there has to be a gap between retirement of legends, there is nothing wrong with Sachin except that he is out of form. Now he has 2 options left either regain his form in this series or hang his bat after the eng series n let youngster face a weak aus bowling side in Indian conditions.

POSTED BY
Cricketfan23
on | December 3, 2012, 8:23 GMT

Sachin is the best judge of when to retire & if he can no longer contribte to the team's cause,he will leave.He wouln't have lasted 23 yrs and performed consistently at the highest level if he was driven by stats & records as Chappel thinks.
Sachin & Lara are the greatest batsmen of this generation.Ponting & Kallis are great cricketers but not in the same league as those two.Kallis has been an accumulator and has never dominated any attack or changed the course of any game.Many times because of his slow approach,SAF have choked from winning positions.
Ponting was fortunate that his prime coincided with an AUS team that had the best attack & always had great batsmen around him so he never had to carry the team on his own as Sachin & Lara had to for most part of their careers.
Chappell says that Ponting has timed his retirement perfectly but he has been a failure for quite sometime now and there were calls for dropping him last year but he got some runs against a poor Indian attack.

POSTED BY
AbhiNaik
on | December 3, 2012, 8:09 GMT

There were NEVER 3...ALWAYS 2....Ponting is just not in the same league as that of Lara and Tendulkar. His record in Asian conditions is affirms this.

POSTED BY
sachislife2310
on | December 3, 2012, 7:25 GMT

I did not eve read this article. When i saw it from you Mr Chappel, i know you could have filled this article only praising ponting and lara and saying tendulkar as he is playing only for records. ha ha ha ha got you Mr Ian.

Check out each match whare india has lost and you will get to see none of other batsmen also played well and most of them would have got single digit scores.

Check the stats before 1998 and you will see when sachin performed only that time india has won and when he did not there was only 5-6 instance where other batsmen scored century and india won.

POSTED BY
maxtaylor
on | December 3, 2012, 7:17 GMT

What is with the persistent blindness when it comes to Jacques Kallis? Both his test and one day averages are higher than Tendulkar, Lara and Ponting!

POSTED BY
GrtIndia_Ann
on | December 3, 2012, 7:10 GMT

many people speak of Lara's mamooths and how sachin failed to knock a 300 in his career...well...lara had to his credit mighty inconsistencies through out his career amidst amassing those huge tons....Critics of sachin just remember lara's huge tons but very often forget or they are ignorant of Lara's lean patches every now and then....even Lara once accepted this fact....and told Sachin was more consistent than himself...(iam huge fan of Lara by the way...i will take nothing away from him).....there were many instances when players like Lara, Dravid ,Laxman misrerably failed when they were needed most...almost every time they delivered in needy situations, the bowlers delivered too and atleast one or two other batsman shared their burden....this is not the case with Sachin....its so strange a coincidence that every time he played a gem in tough situation...rest of the team failed him....and then blame goes to Sachin...people saying that India lost because Sachin scored a century....

POSTED BY
Prats6
on | December 3, 2012, 6:49 GMT

As usual Greg speaks him mind. I for one completely agree, Indians are simply not good with their retirements. Kapil kept playing for 2 years just for the bowling record. Now its Sachin and I dont know what is he playing for. He has done everything on the field. There is nothing left to prove. His struggles now have become embarrassing.

POSTED BY
Prats6
on | December 3, 2012, 6:46 GMT

I am huge fan of Sachin and it has become rather embarrassing that he is a pale shadow of himself. I dont want this image of him being the lasting image. He needs to go out on high and he needs to do it fast.

POSTED BY
on | December 3, 2012, 6:27 GMT

I agree that a player isn't bigger than game itself but why so serious Mr. Chappell? Till now Sachin has been quite there at the top of the game, has made a reputation for himself for doing things in a right fashion, then what makes you think he won't hang his boots at the right time? i have been reading your pieces on cricinfo for past few years now and every now and then you have asked Sach to retire but why? when Indian selectors are showing faith in him and when he is fit enough to play the game then why such a rush? he is going through a lean patch but that sharma guy you talked about isn't doing any better. my point, have faith in sachin,you won't be disappointed.Just coz punter walked out doesn't mean he too should call it a day,that really makes no sense.He will call it a day at the right time. Although you may keep writing about it till it happens and there is nothing wrong in that. I mean that's all you can do after all :)

POSTED BY
bored_iam
on | December 3, 2012, 6:19 GMT

You should probably scroll the list of articles written by Ian Chappell. In 2007-08, during Tendulkar's slump, he asked for his retirement. Tendulkar
responded with the incredible form surge of 2008-10. I have a gut feeling this will be the chance for him to replicate that peak, what I am unsure of is, whether he still can replicate that peak. He has been an incredible servant to indian cricket and i daresay, he HAS been Indian cricket for close to two decades, I desperately want him to go out on a high! One more peak, Sachin. One more peak.

POSTED BY
Kiranbca
on | December 3, 2012, 6:18 GMT

There is a limit for everything. If some one do not draw a line where it has to be drawn, they land up in the situation where tendulkar is. He has nothing left to prove except being in team and enjoy Grade A Contract whereas performance is much worse than Grade C Contracted player. If one has to be judged on his past, should realise that no one lives in the past. Earlier the better for Tendulkar.

POSTED BY
xylo
on | December 3, 2012, 5:17 GMT

Reading Sachin "fans" comments reminds me of a saying in my mother tongue - you can wake up someone who is asleep, but not someone who is pretending to be asleep.

POSTED BY
SFGoldenGate
on | December 3, 2012, 5:07 GMT

@ Ditej Garg and others, Sachin had Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman with him from 1996. Laxman became regular test member by 2001 for his epic Kolkata 281. Virendar Sehwag started from 2001. Before 1996 there were Azharuddin. All of these batsman has 40+ average with at least 16 test centuries in test. Dravid and sehwag have 50+ average with 6 double hundred each. Yet you are claiming that Sachin did not have anyone to help him in Batting dept. Irony is, all the Indian supporter will tout about the famous big 4. The truth is, Sachin never scored a 281 epic like Lax, or 233 by Dravid to WIN test in AUS. When he scored, others also scored in that match, both in his team and in the opposition. That , you can not fins any Sachin hundred like Brian Lara's 153. David Warner scored 180 in Perth vs IND , in that match nobody in the both team scored even a 80. Sachin even do not have these kind of innings. Sachin is a great player but he is not a god. He also got help from Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag.

POSTED BY
on | December 3, 2012, 4:51 GMT

well going very pathetic way. may be sachin looking for one good tour or inning and he declare his retiement. but now the time to gooo

POSTED BY
AncientAstronaut
on | December 3, 2012, 4:45 GMT

I agree with Chapell on what he has to say about Tendulkar, but did Ponting get his timing right? No way! He's been in painful decline and denial for two years; he should've retired at least a year ago after the 2011 world cup, but desperately held onto his place, trying to prolong a career that was over -- much like what Tendulkar is trying to do. You're said to have gotten your timing right when you leave the game on a winning note -- before others start asking questions about you. If there's someone who really got his timing, it's Warne, not Ponting.

POSTED BY
Neeta
on | December 3, 2012, 3:42 GMT

@Amitava Mukherjee: You mention the non performance in the crunch finals, I would like to as who brought the team to those finals and on the cusp of glory, it is SRT, who was the one who stood alone when all others deserted him when he scored 175 against the Aussies at Hyd, where are all those guys who were not able to finish off just 15 runs in test match against Pak at Chennai when only 15 runs were needed with 4 wickets remaining.I can go on and on. The truth is that Tendulkar for most part of his career has been a lone fighter and only in 2000 it happened that he started getting support of Dravid Lax Dada Viru and the like. I agree the form recently has not been good but all players suffer this phase and he has suffered it at the age of 39 which has begun the calls for his retirement. You want to judge a guy who has served the country for 23 years over his performance of 1 year. Pity you! One thing I recommend him is don't rest too much as it hampers his rhythm. Best of Luck!!!

POSTED BY
kh1902
on | December 3, 2012, 3:29 GMT

It doesn't seem to occur to people, including Ian Chappell, that Tendulkar might announce his retirement after the third test match. If he doesn't, then people can start to criticise. I've never seen a player who is abused and denigrated by people who have such little respect for the game. The likes of Kallis and Dravid are above criticism with noone paying attention to their numerous failures. Ponting has been performing poorly for years but for his runs against a poor Indian team. I'm amazed that Sachin Tendulkar can tolerate the double standards that he has been subjected to, throughout his career.

POSTED BY
jay57870
on | December 3, 2012, 3:26 GMT

Ian - Are you kidding? Ponting's decision to retire was "well-timed"? Really? Recall how Ricky was summarily dismissed this year from ODIs for poor form: 18 runs in 5 games? He was discharged over a phone call from the national selector John Inverarity. Honourable you say for a batsman heralded as the best since the great Don? Not even given a chance to choose when to make the call. No wonder the Punter did not want to face another ignominious discharge. So he hastened his decision to quit for fear of the final execution with a phone cord! And now Ian blames Ricky's "decline" being "hastened" for agreeing to move down the batting order from his prime No. 3 spot! What double talk: It's exactly what Chappell advocated in his "Clarke should move up to No. 3" column a year ago! Of course, Ian was playing his usual Age-card, pushing Ponting to move to a "retirement village"! And now he loudly proclaims Ricky's retirement is "well-timed" & Sachin must do the same! How disingenuous, Ian!

POSTED BY
lananad
on | December 3, 2012, 3:24 GMT

Tendulkar is playing for personal records and achievements. Cricket is a team game. He should retire for the sake of Indian Cricket. Please do not hug the no 4 place.Sachin should realise that we are all humans and you cannot play cricket forever. Having said that Tendulkar was never a match winner, he always failed during crunch games. I think Virak Kholi had won more matches in his career so far than Sachin. Please retire.

POSTED BY
kalyanbk
on | December 3, 2012, 2:14 GMT

Retirement or no retirement, Chappel is right when he says Tendulkar's decline has gathered speed since he began to concern himself more with the statistical side of batting rather than constantly seeking to make match-winning contributions. That 100th hundred removed all his happiness and the happiness of a nation. The media had its role to play in hyping. It would be such a joy just to see Sachin focus on making a good contribution. It need not be a 100. Perhaps he needs to watch videos of himself just as Sehwag did. I know Ponting watched his videos just before the masterclass 100 against India in the World Cup quarter finals.

POSTED BY
AP2013
on | December 3, 2012, 2:09 GMT

The quality of this article was slightly disappointing. It will be naïve to think that Tendulkar hasn't thought about all this or he is only playing for records. In some cases this article is written with extreme biasness that Ricky ponting timed it and Tendulkar should follow.

I don't discount the fact that Tendulkar should retire but I am not a big fan of trying to compare and see if we can get to a conclusion.

POSTED BY
asango
on | December 3, 2012, 1:40 GMT

We all know that players read these blogs and Ian Chappell certainly does!!! He had nothing else to write, so wrote about Sachin's retirement once again. Rather then using 'MUST' if he had used "COULD" , people would have read this article with much more interest.
Ponting is a great player and will always remain a legend in history books of cricket. As some of the bloggers said above-Sachin knows better and he will know when to retire. India can never fill in Sachin with any replacement, Sachin will be Sachin.
I am sure Indian's would like to see Sachin play for one more world cup!!!!

POSTED BY
USIndianFan
on | December 3, 2012, 1:20 GMT

Ponting retired after a new guard has established itself. So should Tendulkar. I would give him another 1-2 years. In the meanwhile, the rest of the young ones in the Indian team need to show some quality. Their performance as a team has been abysmal, compared to their talent.

POSTED BY
sirviv
on | December 3, 2012, 1:16 GMT

Sachin's highest is 245. Oops, maybe he doesnt hold all the records after all. Sachin, 29 runs in the last innings should be a "knock knock" on your retirement plans

POSTED BY
MinusZero
on | December 3, 2012, 1:06 GMT

Before Sachin's recent failure in the two tests against England, he did score 137 in the Ranji Trophy. Like Ponting, Sachin should retire when he feels he is no longer contributing. I dont think it will be far away. I hope he can finish this series with a ton, that would be the perfect time.

POSTED BY
rhextc
on | December 3, 2012, 1:04 GMT

Just because Ponting retired, is not good reason for asking Sachin to retire.He need to retire for right reasons. Ponting took his time since 2009 and I think Sachin deserves his time more than anyone else.
And if you think Ponting's retirement is spot on then wait for Sachin and he will show you how to retire on high. wait and watch.

Trading Peter Siddle/Pattinson for Rohit Sharma is very good idea !! lets do it :)

POSTED BY
Neurosis1979
on | December 3, 2012, 1:00 GMT

Mr chappell any views on the following article

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/story/287897.html

Sachin Tendulkar will bow out in style and to all the naysayers who are criticizing the " LITTLE MASTER" he will have the last laugh

POSTED BY
Kays789
on | December 3, 2012, 0:55 GMT

the guy seems 2-3 years too late already mr. chappell.

POSTED BY
rajeshmarath
on | December 3, 2012, 0:37 GMT

It is not only Tendulkar, most of the Indian batsmen are not in-form in this series. I think it is not fair to point the great player at this time to force him to retire. Everyone knows (including him) , the retirement is not so far. I am sure he can bounce back in form. So please give him a chance to back in form ,score some runs and then retire.

POSTED BY
Mitcher
on | December 3, 2012, 0:33 GMT

Those suggesting Tendulkar should be allowed to stay just so he can limp to 200 Tests and 50 ODI centuries are truly showing the symptoms of an unhealthy cricketing mindset. Individual above team will only ever lead to continued mediocrity.

POSTED BY
on | December 3, 2012, 0:20 GMT

I don't think Ponting timed his retirement right by any means. His average drop to 52.00 from an impressive 57 as someone pointed out earlier. I would agree with the comparison to Lara though. Bryan Lara went out when he was on the top of his game. Tendulkar as great a player as he is, has now started playing for records. Its tarnishing such a great legacy. He should retire so the younger crop of players get a chance to get in and gain the necessary experience.

POSTED BY
Cricketfan23
on | December 2, 2012, 23:22 GMT

Sachin is the best judge of when to retire and when he thinks he can no longer contribute to the team's cause,he will go.He would not have lasted 23 yrs and performed at the highest level in cricket if he was only driven by statistics as Chappel thinks.Tendulkar & Lara are the greatest batsmen of this generation.Ponting & Kallis are great cricketers but they are not in the same league as those two and are a rung lower alongwith Dravid,Hayden etc.Kallis has always been an accumulator and has rarely dominated any attacks and changed the course of any game.Sometimes because of his slow approach,SAF have choked from winning positions.
Ponting was fortunate that he was in a team with the best attack and had great batsmen around him so he never had to carry the team on his own as Sachin had to early in his career.Chappel thinks that he has timed his retirement perfectly but he has been in poor form for sometime and could have been dropped last year but got runs against a poor Indian attack

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 23:22 GMT

Tendulkar had same problem in both of his slump periods, that was on side preference i.e. closing face of blade, front foot pointing towards covers & lack of attacking shot against spinners..During the best phases of Tendulkar's career he has always played with OPEN FACE OF BLADE, FRONT FOOT POINTING TOWARDS BOWLER rather than covers & frequently employed attacking shots: Slog sweep & cross batted straight hit against spinners. You cannot survive against spinners without playing safe attacking shots of their good balls. These shots put spinners off their line hence batting becomes easy.

POSTED BY
torsha
on | December 2, 2012, 22:58 GMT

There is noone who can replace liitle master as of now. First, find the player who can take place of him.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 22:31 GMT

I think this is the right time for Sachin to retire from Tests after this series and ODIs after Pakistan series. He can continue a year or so with Mumbai Indians. As far as his greatness, he was one of the finest Indian Cricketers. But the record of winning one hundred tests as team player stands way tall than an individual performance.

Those who are quite worried about his replacement, just read today that Ravindra Jadeja has scored another first class triple century. With Pujara at No.3 Jadeja at No. 4 and Kohli at No.5 Indian batting order can once again remind us of the glorious days of Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman.

POSTED BY
McGorium
on | December 2, 2012, 22:28 GMT

@avik_straightbat: Mr. Chappell is a man who has been one of the greatest captains for Australia, so it's not as if he speaks without authority. Second, Sachin isn't exactly "selfless". Recall many years ago when he was scoring slow to make a 200 against Pak despite the need to declare. When Dravid declared with him on 194,recall his comments in a game that India won, and due to the timely declaration. He has always slowed down between 80-100. He plays for personal milestones as much as for the team, but he's never played for the team alone. He's consistently refused to bat at any position other than 1/2 in ODI's and 4 in tests. He complained when was asked to bat at 4 in ODI's due to a weak middle/lower order and was promptly reinstated at the top. Compare this to VVS/RD who've batted at #1 down to #6. He's even refused to accept leadership positions despite his experience. Tis was tolerable as long as his personal ambitions helped the team. Clearly, this is no longer the case.

POSTED BY
Naikan
on | December 2, 2012, 22:25 GMT

While Ian makes a mention of Dravid I am not sure why he decided to exclude him and consider only a trio and not a quartet. In reality none of these batsmen dominated attacks like Viv Richards did or Sehwag does at times. So to club them as dominating and exclude Dravid is bad analysis. Check Dravid and Ponting's record - they are not far apart, nor did Ponting have a big SR. In fact had Ponting not played those 3 extra tests he would have ended up behind Dravid; and take Sachin's record from the day Dravid made his debut - he would still have needed many more runs to cross Dravid; He was lucky to be the cynosure as a Mumbai school boy and get selected so early in life, but thankfully did not throw it away like Parthiv Patel did. He even became better in his later part of career and corrected the one flaw in his genius of ensuring that when he was batting well he made sure to complete the job and the team won. So I hope he does as Ian says and contemplates to take the right decision

POSTED BY
Saim93
on | December 2, 2012, 22:05 GMT

I want sachin to get to his 200th Test!

POSTED BY
Nampally
on | December 2, 2012, 21:49 GMT

Ian, The best bit I like about your article is the statement "there is more chance of Dalaia Lama being replaced than Tendulkar moving aside". For reasons best Known to him Tendulkar has delayed his retirement by at least one year!.Dravid & Laxman did their part in a timely manner as did Strauss & Ponting. It looks graceful for a player to maove out than being pushed out. When Fans are overwhelmingly for his retirement, Sachin should listen to their wishes. He is in very poor form & giving away his wicket to every bowler Spinner or a Seamer. He is just a shadow of himself. What keeps him want to play is mystifying. As you say there is a host of batsmen hoping to get in their chance at the right age. Tiwary, Rahane, Rohit sharma & even U.Chand are waiting for their chance. If the youngsters don;t get their chance in a timely manner they feel jaded & past it. Ponting showed the way & SRT must follow. No one in life is indispensable, Legend or Not. I am surprised SRT has not learnt it!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 21:41 GMT

Lets make this very simple for all. There r 4 stake holders in this decision. Indian Selectors - who dont seem to think Tendulkar is not the best choice. Sachin - who thinks he can still contribute and contribute well. Indian Team & Captain - dont see any1 there having any issues. Last but not the least Indian Public - I can assure all the readers here that Majority would still keep him in the side.
The others, though entitled to their views, really dont have a say in this !!!

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | December 2, 2012, 21:10 GMT

Mr. Chappell, are you serious ? Even Ricky's timing was far from right. He called it a day at least 2 years late. Ricky should have retired following the Ashes loss in 2009. Yet, he dragged it on and on and on and on. The same with Sachin who is at least 3 years late. Sachin should have retired following India's rise to the summit of test cricket in 2010 after hammering Australia 2-0. So it's a given that both of these great men have got it wrong. What's encouraging is that Ricky is going soon, Sachin isn't which to me is a cause for concern.

POSTED BY
Kaapstad
on | December 2, 2012, 20:44 GMT

I think Mr. Ian Chappell, 'For around a decade Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting were the dominant batsmen in world cricket', is biased or little forgetful. What about JACQUES KALLIS, better average than all of them, and second in terms of hundreds to Sachin.

POSTED BY
shanbhd
on | December 2, 2012, 20:44 GMT

I feel that Tendulkar should have retired immediately after the Asia cup tournament. By not retiring then, he has done injustice to himself more than anything else. However, to my mind, to claim that his contribution to Indian cricket is not as good as those of Dravid and Laxman is very unfair. It is true that in the last away series against England, Dravid was exceptionally good, and , in most of the recent Indian test victories, Laxman had played major roles. But, to get India to number1 rank before India's disastrous trip to England, Tendulkar had also a major say; he had performed extremely well in India's last away series against Sri Lanka and South Africa and last home series against Australia. His performances in these series were definitely better than those of Dravid and, possibly, as good as those of Laxman. His performance in the last World Cup tournament was also impressive.

POSTED BY
Dagur
on | December 2, 2012, 20:42 GMT

In response to Mr. Ditej Garg : Suffice to say that to say that Gary Kirsten, Gibbs, Boucher and Jonty Rhodes were greater than Kumble, Dravid, Ganguli, Laxman, Zaheer and Sahwag who played alongside Tendulkar for most part, defy the cricketing logic and analytical sense, both.

POSTED BY
Dagur
on | December 2, 2012, 20:26 GMT

True to his character, the Aussie great has just stated what he has been known for ie. free and frank assessment of the situation. It is now up to the selectors or Sachin himself to take it or leave it

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 20:19 GMT

Well done Ian.. thanx for the suggestion,but sorry we dont need it.You liked d way Ponting retired and we will like the way Sachin is going to hang his boots.. We Indians are emotional ones, unlike the Australians,when it comes to criticizing or loving their idols. We are less calculative and robotic.We judge our players not only by the amount of runs he has made or wickets he has taken or how many matches he has won, we judge them by how many faces HE has enlightened with his charm,honesty,sacrifice. There is more to life than winning and losing,success and failure. Sachin hasn't yet spoken a word,and he will do so with the bat like all his life he has been doing. Jus u w8 and watch...... and even if HE fails to do so, HE will remain the GOD for us.. not just "some brilliant batsman and fielder and also captain"... We are happy this way... take your Australian Attitude with you...

POSTED BY
Mong00se
on | December 2, 2012, 20:18 GMT

The pain of this article. Take a look at this cricinfo link, 400 runs time there will be two masters -http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;template=results;type=batting. Lets not count the wickets...

POSTED BY
baskar_guha
on | December 2, 2012, 20:11 GMT

Tendulkar cannot retire as easily as Ponting. If he did what Ponting did, the country would go bonkers. Best way I can see Tendulkar retiring is via injury, feigned or not.

POSTED BY
Natx
on | December 2, 2012, 19:59 GMT

First of all I don't agree with the comments like Sachin carried India on his shoulders like Atlas for 20+ years etc. May be for his first 5-8 years, that's a reasonable case, until Sharjah 98. Otherwise this argument makes nonsense to boatloads of runs scored by Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly, Shewag, Azhar, etc. If there is any doubts, go check their stats in cricinfo. Sachin's value in the team is overhyped by 1000 times than reality thanks to (1) stupid god workship, and (2) the absolute mediocre bowling attack that India had over the years, thanks to politically influenced and incompetent selectors. Sachin should have retired 2-3 years ago, or worst after the World Cup, which he failed due to selfishness and incompetent selectors. On Chappell, his comparison is illogical and makes no sense. One guy is long time #3 and the other is #4. Ponting equally had a poor 2+ years (other than Vs India at home, which is a club level bowling attack) so his argument sadly sounds very biased.

POSTED BY
Mong00se
on | December 2, 2012, 19:50 GMT

What pains me is that a certain Kallis is not mentioned in this article. Lets be fair now- Kallis beats Lara hands down (on batting alone), a question still remains over Ponting and ST. Slam on the brakes and Kallis is par with RP and ST on batting averages, and thats not even counting the bowling. Give him 2 more years and you have the best in the world....ever.

It amazes me how this is always ignored. I hope certain Aussie commentators can come to their senses and pay dues where they are needed.

This article was poorly written with regards to the stats available today.

POSTED BY
Rajdev
on | December 2, 2012, 19:28 GMT

Nice article Ian. I am a great fan of Sachin. But he has to go. He has been outstanding for India but not getting any younger. He is spoiling his legacy by hanging on (to play 200 tests?) when he has no significant contribution to make as a batsman. The worst thing that can happen is if he gets one big score now. That would give him a "life" for another ten tests, in the eyes of the selectors and fans.

POSTED BY
enthusiastic
on | December 2, 2012, 18:52 GMT

Time for Sachin to make place for a youngster.

POSTED BY
FrontYardCricket
on | December 2, 2012, 18:46 GMT

@ditej garg - are you serious???? have you forgotten names like GANGULY, LAXMAN, KUMBLE, DRAVID, SEHWAG, HARBHAJAN, Z KAHN, DHONI????
Perhaps you are the one that needs to check the stats!!

Sachin will never be dropped even if his average for the year reached single figures, I just hope he picks his time sooner rather than later. It is not pretty watching an all time great hang on too long....

POSTED BY
SnowSnake
on | December 2, 2012, 18:38 GMT

Ponting is hardly a benchmark for Tendulkar. Currently, Tendulkar is where Ponting was in 2008 when his reflexs slowed down. So, Ponting is way too late for his retirement. To say that Ponting timed it right is an understatement. Tendulkar does not have any particular flaws Ponting has on the off side. This is all I can say. Anything more would be disrespect to Ponting-- especially because he is retiring.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 18:36 GMT

Well said Chapelle! I don't know when Sachin will know that the right time has passed and all left now is saving the pride. I'm sure selectors don't have what it takes to do the right thing but he should know better. As far as Ponting is considered he timed it right and it sounded like one of those explicitly timed hook shots. I'm sorry to say this but Tendulkar fans must understand this that because of his indecisiveness the overall growth of the team is being affected seriously and terribly.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 18:19 GMT

For those who are saying Ponting timed his retirement well and Sachin should retire! Here are some stats over the past 2 years!
Ponting - Matches 19, Runs 1059, Average 33, 100s - 2 (Out of which 544, 2 centuries came against a weak Indian attack in a 4 match series at home in Aus). The average would be pathetic in the remaining 15 matches.
Sachin - Matches 18, Runs 1196, Average 39, `100s - 2 (Both centuries against South Africa's deadly attack in South Africa).
Well, he should retire - not because he hasn't been playing well, but because his focus has shifted to life beyond Cricket (Retirement plans including Air Force and Rajya Sabha, and who knows a possible Lok Sabha too)! #SachFan

POSTED BY
JackleNet
on | December 2, 2012, 18:12 GMT

Its a pity, some people are blaming a weak Indian team for sachin lack of match winning abilities.....Even with a poorer team brian lara did better. Dravid and laksman in the same weak team are better match winners especially overseas...indivdual performance do help at times for a team......but he is not definetly not enough for teams cause...he has a statistical longevity no doubt..among the best in terms of batsmanship...but for teams cause/match winning abilities there are many players better..even dravid and laksman are higher than him.... Btw ponting did not time his retirement right...it little late..he jumped the gun just before autralian selectors could shoot.

POSTED BY
sparth
on | December 2, 2012, 17:58 GMT

There is no one else who can easily take his spot right now. If there were young indian players that were capable to replace him then he will retire, but right now there is no one. Rohit Sharma can't bat in the international level, Badrinath is far too old, Tiwary needs more time playing ODI's first, and there are no 18-20 year olds that really have that batting spark that is needed. Sachin needs to stay untill the SA tour at least

POSTED BY
ayub.ans
on | December 2, 2012, 17:43 GMT

Sachin should retire after the English series and make his sawn song appearance against Pakistan in the T-20 series, just want to see an Ajmal - Tendulkar battle, ie if Kohli leaves any runs for Tendulkar:)

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 17:31 GMT

@ditej garg...kallis had rhodes,kirsten,gibbs etc?rhodes was never an outstanding batsman,he averaged around 35 in tests,gibbs so was gibbs who averaged 41...only kirsten was a better batsman...saffers never had a settled middle order..its only now that amla,devilliers have come of age and saffers have become a great side...so your point that kallis always had support is pointless..saffers always had a strong bowling unit which set up the matches for them mostly... india didnt have a strong bowling unit but what about batting?hasnt tendulkar always had the support of dravid,vvs,azharuddin,ganguly,sehwag and in then later gambhir? i beg to differ but mr.chappell is spot on about tendulkar...dravid,laxman mostly used to carry the burden of indian batting line up not tendulkar..they both retired in graceful manner but looks like tendulkar is only interested in playing for himself rather than the team

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 17:28 GMT

And another so-called expert forgot Kallis, one of the greatest batsmen in modern era, averaging more than sachin and ponting.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 17:26 GMT

I think Chappell seems to be knowing how to silence Indian fans easily after criticizing Sachin!!!the last line that makes you forget everything else that was skeptical about the LITTLE MASTER!!!

POSTED BY
UglyIndian
on | December 2, 2012, 17:19 GMT

@NiloyRoy - whats so absurd in believing that? If anything else, the fact that a guy has played for 23 years, and his win percentage remains an ordinary 35%, that he hasn't made a significant contribution in Test cricket for nearly 2 years. That he has faced successive 4-0 drubbings overseas, and yet sticks around to score '100 - international hundreds', something that only some Indian people think is a legitimate thing. Actually that '100 international hundreds' is the real absurdity. Its like having 51 watermelons and 49 grapes gives me 100 fruits.
Get your 'India' blinkers off, and think as an intelligent human being (it might be impossible for you to do so, though), and realize that he's using the Indian cap as his own fiefdom now.

POSTED BY
ruudraza
on | December 2, 2012, 17:17 GMT

In the last 5 yrs ponting avereges 39 with the bat which is poor given his career avg is 52 and his avg 5 yrs ago was 58. He has been underperforming for a very long period of time and has been nowhere near as imposing as he used to be. Ian chappel claiming ricky to have timed his retirement to perfection shows bias and nothing else. Also puting ponting along with lara and sachin while failing to mention dravid and kallis (with similer or better stats and equal or more important contribution) shows how he looks at things with an aussie bias. he knew criticising lara would invide criticism so he took an obvious dig at sachin

POSTED BY
Imeno
on | December 2, 2012, 17:12 GMT

Two arguments: Would Ponting have retired if he scored in the current series against SA? I would be very surprised if CA let him continue. On the other hand, Sachin did not score well. But so did most of the indian current test players. Atleast with Sachin in the team we can hope for something. Suggesting Ravindra Jadeja to replace Sachin is ridiculous. Until we find someone like Pujara (who replaced Dravid) to replace Sachin, we should let him play. I am a bit disappointed in Ian Chappell for suggesting Sachin is after statistics. Let us not forget whether Ponting or Sachin or anyone else, they all play because they like to and it is their profession and passion. Why deny that to Sachin. It would be a different scenario if someone else knocks on the door with some strong performances. Investing in young blood doesn't always work. Look at Parthiv patel, Jaffer, Raina, etc.

POSTED BY
gung-ho
on | December 2, 2012, 16:59 GMT

@ruester - You think Sachin is past sell by date and the majority just wants to see him play no matter what?
India really does not have a ready made replacement for Sachin. Raina will be fine in the sub continent pitches. Yuvraj will get a quick 30-40. Rohit Sharma needs to master the art of staying focused for more than a couple of hours, etc. Unmukt Chand, I do not know how good he is in the longer format of the game.
Ponting on the other hand, has been having trouble playing quicks - getting hit, late into his favorite pull shot, etc. Unlike Sachin, Ponting is not a thinker - Sachin will stop playing a shot if he thinks he can't -- Ponting is impulsive and kind of kept playing the way he was playing 10 yrs ago.
Trust me, everyone including Dhoni knows that India's worries are not just contained to Tendulkar's poor run. The whole batting line up (Gambhir, Sehwag, Dhoni) needs to be revamped -- and the less said about the bowling the better.

POSTED BY
Farce-Follower
on | December 2, 2012, 16:49 GMT

Quite silly to read comments like, "carrying burden of the team on his shoulders". I thought this was an article on SRT and not Dravid or Laxman.

POSTED BY
Stark62
on | December 2, 2012, 16:17 GMT

He should retire from Tests, after the conclusion of Eng vs Ind series and then, retire in ODI's after the Indo-Pak ODI series, with a victory against your arch nemesis.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 16:05 GMT

If he is a true player for his country and made many records for the country, he has to leave the team when he was unable to do better for his team due to his poor form or age. Sachin should consider this and leave a way for youngsters to pursue in international level. This is right time for a youngster to enter so Team India won't be under trouble in future. I would an all rounder has to replace Sachin.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 15:57 GMT

Ian Chappel Pointing didn't plan plan his retirement well. He has been failing for a while and should have left before it got worst. He is still fit and i was happy to see him playing at that age. Tendukar aslong he is making runs he should continue play because the Test fans love him....good for Test.

POSTED BY
ashishcooltech
on | December 2, 2012, 15:41 GMT

Chappell has been calling for Tendulkar's retirement since almost 4 to 5 years now. If he would have retired 5 years ago, the world would have missed some great innings and India might have not won the World Cup ( People say he failed in the Final, but don't remember that he was the highest scorer for India in WC and the MoM in semi-final ). I don't think anyone should make such comments since he has already proved he can come out of lean patch even at old age. Maybe he plays till 45 and wins another World Cup for India. Who can guarantee that its not possible ? Maybe it sounds improbably, but then again, ppl should remember that ordinary or less successful people can never figure outl what champions have in their mind. Who would have thought in 2007 that he'd score 500 runs in 2011 WC !!!

POSTED BY
OttawaRocks
on | December 2, 2012, 15:40 GMT

@ LillianThomson, You are correct on Tendulkar on overstaying his welcome by 18 months or so. However, comparing Lara's 375 and 400 to Tendulkar only reaching 250 sounds like a faulty argument. As a North American who began re-watching cricket in the late 90s with unbiased eye, I can't begin to tell you how frustrating I found Lara's inconsistent performances, especially when he would produce duck after duck when his team would need him most. During that same period Tendulkar was quite consistent with getting another 50-60 or another century each time he batted (ducks were exceedingly rare). To summarize, each player had their strengths but neither was perfect.

POSTED BY
cric4india
on | December 2, 2012, 15:34 GMT

@Lillian: Wow! I am amazed at people's ignorance levels! Greatness is measured in terms of number of 250s??? And for your feeble and incapable thinking, Sachin never considered the 100 100s a milestone...we made it so...wow man...Akram got a 250..so what???

POSTED BY
SatyajitM
on | December 2, 2012, 14:59 GMT

I don't think it's necessary of Ian to poke Sachin just becuase Ricky has retired. Ricky was a greatly committed cricketer and he has taken his decision. Inspite of best attempts by folks like Ian, general believe is that Ricky was just behind the class of Sachin and Lara. Coming to claims of timing it perfect people have different sense of timing and inspite of Sachin's bad form he has done better than Ponting (38.58 vs 33.09). Out of that 33.09, there were 4 test matches where Indian bowlers tried to get Ricky back to form, without that his average would have been 19! If last 3 years are taken he average 37.16, compared to Sachin's 53.97. While stats are not everything, they are a good measure of somebody's form. Going by this if Sachin has to retire now, Ricky should have retired a year back, so he is late! Sachin is the guy to decide on his retirement and only people who can talk to him on this are the selectors. Ian can't guess Sachin is stats minded and Ricky wasn't!

POSTED BY
Tribez
on | December 2, 2012, 14:59 GMT

firstly Sachin sud thank ponting for making things easy for him coz he was the only one who cud hve beaten his highest test runs record a BIG sigh of relief for him. Secondly he aint going anywher coz he going to play with his son so till his son debuts he playing.
Hez a good player but not the great, Lara was the bestest followed by rest so Mr Chappell I think u wrote this comment a little early
So people have to wait hez still deciding......

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 14:57 GMT

We all loved & will always love Tendulkar but I think his retirement is long overdue. He should learn from other batsman who have been dominant recently in world cricket & felt that time is up for them and called it quits. As much as we love to see him play, we are so embarrassed to see him go out as cheaply as he is doing these days. He has been a great player throughout his career why should he embarass like he is doing. Thank Ricky u have been a great player to watch and most of all Thanks for letting everyone learn to accept that all good things come to an end but tht the memories wil stay forever. You are a Legend

Mr Sachin take a lesson from the other greats who have also made the as beautiful as it is today; Ponting, Dravid, Lexman, Hayden, Gilchrist, Brett Lee. They are too many to mention. Even Zinedine Zidane left the field of play while everyone still wanted him to play

POSTED BY
PhaniBhaskar24
on | December 2, 2012, 14:55 GMT

@ Ditej Garg..where are you man in 90's..we don't have match winners..come on buddy..we do have Azhar, sourav, dravid, kumble, Srinath, Jadeja ( the finisher), Mongia, Robin Singh....Kumble - still the highest wicket taker for india in spin, Srinath - still the highest wicket taker for india in fast, leave alone Sourav, Dravid..Azhar - the best fielder & best captain that time, mongia- a reasonbale wicker keeper..who else is required...ok...lets straighten this up - Why SRT opens in ODI & not so in Tests, though the team requires him desperately...post WC 96..show us SRT playing outside the comfort zone ( any alteration in batting lineup & compare with others)..Greg chappel era?

POSTED BY
Indiacric2011
on | December 2, 2012, 14:54 GMT

Mr Chapell, Last I checked Win-Loss is a statistic as well, if we are bothering about statistics which can be achieved by a batsman by scoring runs more centuries the better. Other aspect of cricket if you could have picked up is the expectation of the people. Ask a simple question.. What do a majority of fans want to see from tendulkar when he goes out to bat. Score a century. Guess what thats what he wants to deliver. On the same lines.... I want to see McGrath taking wickets not just going for 20-30 runs and no success. Sorry mate how much it would helped his side limit the opposition doesnt make the highlight reel or a cut into video of his greatest bowling performance or of australian great fast bowling talent. Any bowler would love to get wickets. The more he gets the more likely his side can win....

POSTED BY
lashpash
on | December 2, 2012, 14:51 GMT

@ Ditej Garg: lets break down your post into two separate arguments:
1) Sachin was alone as compared to Ponting and Kallis(ignoring the existence of Dravid/ Ganguly/ Azharuddin/ Kumble/ Parsad/ Srinath and so on and so forth).
2) One person cannot win matches since it is a team sport and others need to contribute
Counters:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283704.html
1)Looking at just the man of the match awards (the link is provided above). Even though Kallis/Ponting had other great players in their team, they have won MOM every 7th and 11th match respectively whereas Tendulkar has won it every 14th match. Don't you think Tendulkar had more chances to win MOM since his team members were mediocre as per you.
2) If you counter my point with your second argument, just look at the stats or Lara/Hadlee who had average team members and yet won MOM every 11th and 10th match.
This is not to degrade one of the best, just accepting the fact that he is past his prime.

POSTED BY
venkatr_11
on | December 2, 2012, 14:49 GMT

Dear Mr.Chappell. Ricky Ponting has not averaged even 50 in the last 5 years. He has averaged 47 in 2008 and 49 in 2012. In between he was averaging only in the 30's for the best part of 2009-2011. On the other hand Sachin has averaged 48,67,78 and 47 from 2008-2011. only in 2012, his average has dived low to 22, but he will bounce back! Criticizing Sachin of playing for his own records is like hitting below the belt and cheap! There's a thin line between criticism and slander, and you have clearly crossed it often when writing about Sachin! The above mentioned stats are not only for you but for so many members here who are mindlessly criticizing Sachin Tendulkar! My request is criticize, but do it constructively and speak with facts and just don't go by the words and news that you hear. For a player like Sachin, the least we can do is show some respect for all he has given us during these years!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 14:48 GMT

Sachin, No doubt is a great player but its high time that he retires gracefully. There is no point playing for records. I believe he wants to score enough centuries in test so that kallis do not surpass him. His penchant for records is proven. When he scored his 100th hundred against bangladesh, India lost because he scored very slowly and also moved out of asia cup. Inspite of that, he said its a great relief and he feels huge pressure is released off his back. When Dravid once declared when he was on 192 and was scoring slowly, he retaliated in media. I think the entire country loves him a lot......Its time that he contributes to cricket in other forms rather than blocking the number 4 position

POSTED BY
AvidCricFan
on | December 2, 2012, 14:48 GMT

Rohit Sharma - a potential talent to replace Tendulkar? Give me a break. The guy may have natural talent of picking the ball early, but doesn't have right brain. He has squandered his chances. India will be better served to induct Chand and give more chances to Tiwari.

POSTED BY
vik56in
on | December 2, 2012, 14:47 GMT

Spot on Ian,Sachin is dragging along his disintegrated body .His reflexes have slowed down and Father Time has caught up with him.He also has slowed down in the outfield .

POSTED BY
EverybodylovesSachin
on | December 2, 2012, 14:44 GMT

I do not agree with Chappell, he said the same thing before and got back fired at him..Whenever he makes comments about Sachin he is wrong..else he is a good judging the game certainly not Sachin's game..

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 14:38 GMT

Whatever we all say about STATDULKAR it doesn't matter bcoz he will going to retire after england series that's for sure as he doesn't have courage to face even spinners now .
how tentatively he was playing monty and swann like he was playing them for first time or as if they were any mystery spinners.
I somehow feel as if he is playing for stat more than team take his 100th hundred.
I wish sachin could retire like a legend or on his own terms but his wish of prolonging his almost two n half decades long career will make him retire uner the pressure of selectors...
Do what ponting has done-Self Realisation!!!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 14:24 GMT

It's just a matter of one good knock which will bring back his form and all the critics will be silenced again. Oh, wait I've seen this before!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 14:21 GMT

@ Ditej Garg - so what you're trying to say is that Sachin never had the support of Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble, Laxman, Azharuddin, Bhajji and Kapil Dev (to a certain extent)

I'm sorry but I found it very silly that you would say that Sachin didn't have quality cricketers in his team, when the fact is, that through out his career he has had good cricketers along side him.

POSTED BY
itsthewayuplay
on | December 2, 2012, 14:16 GMT

Contd But that is a different issue to the one being discussed now where it appears that Tendulkar is playing for personal glory. Having won a a WC, been part of a no 1 team, currently top of the tree for most number of test runs and centuries, and then has two young chilren at home and having contributed next to nothing in the last 4 years, one of the conclusions you draw is that he's playing for the milestones.

POSTED BY
BeatTheChamps
on | December 2, 2012, 14:16 GMT

@LillianThomson: Dude, Sachin made his INTERNATIONAL debut when he was 16 and is still playing. He has scored 100 INTERNATIONAL centuries. Anybody with a little cricketing knowledge will tell you that 100 international centuries are far more hard to achieve than 100 first class centuries. and what pathetic examples you are giving. Ajit Agarkar has a test hundred at Lords while Sachin doesn't. Does that make Agarkar a better batsman??Sachin and overrated?? Give me a break.

POSTED BY
itsthewayuplay
on | December 2, 2012, 14:12 GMT

@Scott Jones (December 02 2012, 09:30 AM) I'm afraid you don't understand the fundamental difference between test cricket and ODIs where generally bowlers win you matches in the former and batsmen in the latter and explains reason why India is a better ODI than test team. Ponting's and Kallis' respectives contributions were meaningful in tests because they had the bowlers to back them up. Tendulkar has played far more matchwinning knocks in ODIs because you don't have to bowl a team out to win. If Tendulkar played in the Australia team instead of Ponting his test match wins would be far higher than it is now. India rose to no1 on the basis of Zaheer and Kumble complimenting the batsmen's efforts and now they gone or going, we see that no matter how many runs they'vescored it's generally never enough in tests. Alternatively if Kallis and Ponting had played in the same Indian team that Tendulkar played for the vast majority of his career, they would have made much of a difference either.

POSTED BY
Sach_is_Life
on | December 2, 2012, 14:04 GMT

@LillianThomson .. SRT avgs 47.25 in 2011. Can you plz tell me , which country would dump a player averaging 47+ ? Agreed. he has been struggling in 2012. But again, can you please tell me which country dumps their best batsmen for last 23 yrs, just because he struggled in 7 test matches ?

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 13:59 GMT

Although I prefer not to agree with you, the comment that "The Dalai Lama will be replaced than Tendulkar moved aside" was priceless. Lol!

POSTED BY
itsthewayuplay
on | December 2, 2012, 13:59 GMT

@Ditej Garg spot on. Sachin for early part of his career played in a team even worse than the current one and it was because of his stellar performances way back then that India were not totally humiliated. However with the inept performances barring Dravid in England, the last 2 away series showed that overseas tests is not the way for new players to further their claims for selection. Therefore they have to be given opportunities to acclimatise to test cricket through home series such as this one. Is Tendulkar really going to SA at the end of next year? If he is you have ask why? If not the question is what'she doing playing in a home series when this opportunity would be better utilised by another player particularly when form over the last 4 years has not justified his selection.

POSTED BY
Avid.Cricket.Watcher
on | December 2, 2012, 13:58 GMT

Ian Chappell's credibility (in respect of neutral analysis) has been shredded in the last 3 years. Despite failure after failure from Ponting in ODI and Test cricket, there was not 1 article calling for him to announce his retirement. Despite emerging talents like Khwaja, Forrest, Hughes, Doolan, Warner, etc. not 1 article calling for his head, or questioning his motives. On the other hand, Tendulkar was among India's leading lights between 2008 and mid-2011, and a key contributor to their rise in the Test rankings and the winning of the WC (2nd highest scorer in the WC, with significant performances right up to the S/f). And yet, there was not 1 piece acknowledging that contribution. And just when he is in a slump, Chappell brings out this negative piece questioning his motives. Rather disgusting exhibition of bias from Chappell in the context of assessing Tendulkar and Ponting. Zero credibility.

POSTED BY
Sach_is_Life
on | December 2, 2012, 13:54 GMT

@ruester .. Its Ian C, who said that Ponting did it at the right time and then he brought Dravid into the discussion by saying that he was replaced by Pujara at the right time .. i am just pointing out that both Ponting and Dravid retired on their own terms .. and SRT will do the same .. My point is Sachin knows better than you, me or Ian .. and he will take the right decision at the right time .. just like RP n RD.

POSTED BY
wrenx
on | December 2, 2012, 13:42 GMT

Remember when Strauss scored his nothing century against WI this year, to "silence the doubters"? Tendulkar is hoping for the same, trying to get just one score to try and mask his failing form. Strauss' runs didn't fool anyone after an appalling 2 years, and promptly had to retire. India should use this as an opportunity to finally host Bangladesh for a test series, get Tendulkar his worthless score and then give him the boot. One score does nothing to change years of failure, no matter how hard you try to spin it.

POSTED BY
SamRoy
on | December 2, 2012, 13:36 GMT

@Sach_is_Life Probably you forgot Dravid had a great 2009 as well averaging 60+. Tendulkar has had a dreadful run since 2011 WC but even more important his reflexes has slowed just like Dravid and Laxman's did in Australia and the most pitiable fact remains evn though he is not one of the six best batsman in the country he still thinks he deserves a place in the side. You are right about Ponting though.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 13:25 GMT

Right said Mr Chappell. Tendulkar should have retired after the poor England tour or in the very least after the Australia tour. But he chose to carry on. A poor show against New Zealand did not change his mind. Wonder if he is gunning for 200 tests!

"Tendulkar's decline has gathered speed since he began to concern himself more with the statistical side of batting rather than constantly seeking to make match-winning contributions" - probably the most accurate analysis of Tendulkar's failures in recent times.

@offtopic: Now, Mr Chappell is capable of sound logic like in this article and yet, he goes out and says "Ponting's honesty(!?) stood out" in a tribute to Ponting. Makes me wonder..

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 13:19 GMT

Sachin refused to call off the play towards the end of the fifth day in a test match against Sri Lanka when Sangakarra made him the offer as no result was likely, but Sachin was in 70s or 80 and there was a hundred for him for the taking. The test was as good as dead, but Sachin continued playing till he completed his hundred. The only significance there to continue playing was his hundred. I burst in laugh when Sri Lankan bowlers started bowling wide of his off stump. Sachin has always sought opportunities to maximize his own records. Records have been dear to him and he always has records in his mind when he plays cricket. Now that he is approaching 200 test matches, he is eyeing another record.

POSTED BY
spinkingKK
on | December 2, 2012, 13:19 GMT

Ian chappell has been very diplomatic here. Tendulkar can not get his retirement timing right anymore. It is long overdue. Dravid's one was way too much long overdue! He continued on for two years too many. Only recent Indian batsman who announced his retirement just on time was VVS. Tendulkar is continuing on for nearly an year now. I am not very happy to say this. But, such is life. Old stars have to give way for the new beginning. Otherwise, Gavaskar and Kapildev could be still playing for India.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 13:18 GMT

India is fortunate to have skilful young replacements but there's more chance the Dalai Lama will be replaced than Tendulkar moved aside. It's up to Tendulkar to replicate Ponting's decision and make sure the timing of his retirement is as exquisite as one of his flowing cover drives.

POSTED BY
DR.V1N33T
on | December 2, 2012, 13:16 GMT

OK..So Mr. Chappel thinks the timing of retirement of ponting is right then sachin should retire then Sachin has 43 test matches left before hanging the boot..I explain why.. Sachin is playing with avg. of 22.83 in 7 matches this year and he played with avg. of 47.25 in 9 matches last year and with 78.10 in 14 matches before that. Now if we are considering an avg > 50 good for him, he is not playing good for last 16 matches. Now if we consider the same criteria for Ponting he is not playing good for last 59 matches!!!.. He is playing with an avg. of 45.53 in 9 matches this year and played with avg. of 31.92 in 7 matches before that, 36.95 in 12 matches before that, 38.77 in 13 before that, 47.28 in 14 before that, 38.4 in 4 before that and 88.86 in 10 before that.
Now if we consider avg. > 40 good enough then Sachin still has 25 matches. Ponting played 32 matches in 3 years with avg. below 40. Sachin has so far played 7 matches and 1 year yet to complete with avg. <40....

POSTED BY
test_cricket_is_real_cricket
on | December 2, 2012, 13:13 GMT

the fact that ponting is being mentioned in the same sentence as tendulkar is a huge compliment for ponting... yes, he was a good player, but only as good as maybe astle or fleming or vaughan or youhana... just that he played without the pressure of a poor bowling attack and poor supporting batsmen... his average drops down by quite a few notches when playing in a team without warne, mcgrath, lee, gilchrist, hayden, bevan, waugh, etc... same goes forkallis... tendulkar, dravid and lara are way above anybody else when it comes to batting, and surely they must not take a cue from anybody else when to retire... dravid retired when he wanted to, and even though i wanted him to play for another 2-3 years, i respected his decision... ditto for tendulkar... a player who has a 100 international hundreds should be allowed atleast a 100 failures before being dropped...

POSTED BY
Arrow011
on | December 2, 2012, 13:10 GMT

How can any tom, dick & harry be compared to Sachin? Only player who was equal to Sachin was Lara. I would rate KP very highly also but his focus on the sport is like a pendulum.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 13:06 GMT

Mr. Chappell...You were the same person commented about Tendulkar some years back asking him to retire..And after that he scored runs heavily and showed rest of the world how a big impact player he is!!! Now you don't have any rights asking Sachin to retire from international. Cricket. He is still a good enough player to continue in Intl cricket..And about Ponting, Why you didn't ask him to retire much early..He was struggling for runs from last 3-4 years and his average dropped down from nearly 58 to 52, and only he scored some runs against India when India toured Australia.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 13:05 GMT

No doubt Lara was the best batsman , right after Bradman. Can somebody please write an article and compare punter and sachin , I know stats are in sachins favor but they don't tell the whole truth , like flat Indian tracks , match winning contributions like 100 test winnings , and sometimes just hold a wicket on one side while the bowlers go after the other end

POSTED BY
GrtIndia_Ann
on | December 2, 2012, 12:57 GMT

many people here plainly speak of match winnig abilities of sachin and compare them with that of dravid, laxman, kallis and punter....well...dravid and laxman always had the backing of atleast one or two other batsman in their battles....sachin never had such help from others...even the bowlers.....every time sachin played a gem...the entire team collectively failed him....2011 WC matches against SA and Eng are good exaples...so is his 175 aginst Aus ....so is his 137 aginst pakistan in 1997.......and this list can be dragged very long....Punter was not a match winner if he hasnt had the luxury of being in strong Australian team with such a good bowling attack...so is the case with Kallis.....infact Kallis was never really a great match winner....he helped SA to draw matches sometimes...thats not match WINNIG...

POSTED BY
test_cricket_is_real_cricket
on | December 2, 2012, 12:55 GMT

i was waiting for this article to come out... because the last time ian chappell spoke about tendulkar's retirement (after the 2007 world cup), it produced 4 years of unmatched brilliance from tendulkar's bat... his form then was far worse than what it is now... so i hope it does a similar effect this time... because looking at the state of the indian team, it feels tendulkar will have to play till the next world cup if india are to have any chance...

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 12:50 GMT

It is very sad that we have to force Tendulkar to Retire. Even though stats show how good a player you are, it is not always right. Look at Ponting's record 108 test match wins... thats Awesome than your 100 centuries. Tendulkar, you please retire immediately, it is good for you, and all of us, importantly the youngsters who are waiting for a chance. Don't dissappoint them.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 12:34 GMT

Hats off to Ponting for giving cricket lover's a wonderful time. This said, it is wrong on the part of Ian Chappel to now ask for Sachin to follow Ponting's footsteps in retiring. Chappel seems to believe (as all Aussies do) taht whateer an Aussie does, he is right and that the decision is well time
Ponting can never be compared to Sachin, whose records are far, far better. Sachin has served India for 23 years. He feels that he can still perform. I sincerely feel that we must respect a person, who has served us wonderfullt well for 23 years.
Let us hope he ends with a bang

POSTED BY
kharidra
on | December 2, 2012, 12:28 GMT

There is this transformation of players from strokeless wonders to six hitters and wonderful stroke makers during the players prime time. There is this other side where the stroke makers gradually sink into stroke less entities. Life is a good teacher enricheing humanity with experience. The targets and statistics are small milestones that appear to have been pursued while attempting to realize overall ambitions of winning matches and tournaments. In life as one would have observed there are several variable parameters on which players skills unfold and some of which the article has stated. Given such diversity of parameters the paths that the players traverse is diverse and hence all yardsticks of comparison are bound to come unstuck.There are times when pen wielders need to give more thought as to whether all such paths have been given enough consideration.There must be measuring device for enthusiasm levels and mapping to performance on the day and not compare with past performance.

POSTED BY
avik_straightbat
on | December 2, 2012, 12:24 GMT

Mr Chappel ur pointing a finger at a player who has played 23 years at the highest level and with outstanding consistency .......the hundredth hundred was a burden and figure which the commentators and the fans bought up and pressurized tendulkar with .....Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has always played for his side country selflessly ....the records came along way due to the sheer dedication focus and appetite he had to serve his country .....so lets not get over critical ....about someone who's achievements and impact on the game is and will be unparalleled ....

POSTED BY
hard_hitter_guy
on | December 2, 2012, 12:22 GMT

Well said Ian!!! Some people say sachin should not retire bcos India needs his experience in South Africa. When India had the experience of Dravid, Laxman and Sachin in England and Australia team India was whitewashed. So it is obvious that even if India has Sachin or not, team is going to lose in South Africa lol!! :) . So better we can give chance to some youngsters like Rohit or Unmukt or Tiwary in SA so they can get a feel of fast and bouncy pitches and face high quality bowling trio of Steyn and co. That experience will help them to improve and adapt. We can't excpect success from them straight away in SA. Remember the exposure Sachin got at the beginning of his career in Eng and Aus and Dravid, Saurav debuted in England. So sachin needs to take decision sooner rather than later.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 12:21 GMT

Chappel:Ur thought might be right but here is the story, Everybody is talking about replacing sachin but with whom can we??
Everybody thinks that we have young blood but since ages INDIA fails in overseas and even if we win that used to bcause of Dravid, Sachin, Laxman and Sehwag. Now we dont have Dravid and Laxman and can v really afford to fly overseas with dhoni and young blood who did not proove yet.

Dont u think in the second Test Vs England match we would have made a by having VVS LAXMAN who rocks in such situations always. Fill that position first and then come to 4th which is sachin's

India always stays behind bcause of bowling, now v have 2 spinners who prooved but still bajji is not retiring though he is hatching eggs

Please do not under estimate seniors as young blood becomes puppets in overseas. He is last source after Gang, Laxman and Dravid

POSTED BY
Silverbails
on | December 2, 2012, 12:17 GMT

Good article, Ian! It's all about timing, and since the world Cup win of 2011, I really do feel that SRT has been living on borrowed time, and has been trying to capture past glories. Sadly, ALL of those fans who don't think that he's playing for personal glories are deluding themselves completely!! Even IF the indian teams haven't possibly been the strongest, that still isn't any reason for NOT playing FOR the team. IF one want's to look for the perfect team player in recent times in the Indian Test team, one only needs to look at the legendary Rahul Dravid (who sadly didn't get anywhere NEAR the recognition that he SHOULD have done by the Indian media!!) and VVS Laxman. They've been involved in FAR MORE Indian wins, particularly abroad, than Sachin EVER has, sadly!! Yep, sadly old Father time waits for on-one, and it's now time to go, before the ignonomy of being dropped by the selectors is finally forced... Retire with dignity now, Sachin, on your own terms, as Ponting has done...!!

POSTED BY
jagatr
on | December 2, 2012, 12:15 GMT

@LillianThomson: So according to you, SRT is not good enough coz he has 100 hundreds (international) + 79 hundreds (first class) - 179 hundreds, right? Sure, I agree its time for him to go - but over-rated he aint! Imagine if he had faced bowling attacks led by Zaheer Khan rather than McGrath / Steyn.... happy thinking!

POSTED BY
Punter.Pratik
on | December 2, 2012, 12:06 GMT

To some extent,Chappeli is right but Tendulkar knows better.If he fails to get a triple figure score in the next two tests,he will quit.
Hail the master...
Hail Ponting!!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 11:53 GMT

Seems Ian Chappel has forgotten everything with age. Ponting was scoring heavily cos he had a fantastic team, the perfect set of batsmen and bowlers. You can't compare him to Lara & Sachin as both had weak teams. Would Ponting have been the same if we was in the Indian team or WI team? Would he have scored heavily if he had to face the mighty Oz attach like Lara or Sachin did?

Look at Ponting's record post retirement of Hayden, Gilly, McGrath and others. He was at most, ordinary. His retirement questions started from that. He was lucky on both occassions to have extended his career thanks to a pathetic Indian bowling line up, WC 2011 QF ton & last year's tour of India, where he scored heavily. Had it been an Eng or SA team, it was curtains for him last year itself.

And the retirement wasn't well timed, it was pressure from selectors which made him retire, else, he was being contemplated for Ashes.

In you face Ian Chappell. I repeat, he was at most, an ordinary batsman!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 11:43 GMT

I think the first time I didnt like Rahul Dravid for the first ever time in my life was the other day when he said"india need tendulkar more than ever NOW"didnt expect this from a technically perfect,selfless team man..But i really did not agree with Ian here.Ponting didnt quite time his retirement well.he should have done that at least after India tour when he scored tons.Dont know how many times I have written here runs against India should not be taken THAT seriously by Aus batsmen..punter at least went back to shield cricket scored piles of runs proved he is still among the best down under looks leaner and fitter than ever before and made it impossible for selectors NOT to select him.If he hadnt retired it would have been dif for Invers and Co..i get a feeling the more people say the more sachin will hang on...Mumbai Indians and other commitments will keep him on and on...BUT as Ian says here the real guilty party are selectors..Omitted Jimmy who said dhoni should be reconsidered.

POSTED BY
Beertjie
on | December 2, 2012, 11:37 GMT

Well said, Chappelli. I'm not convinced by the names of the possible successors you provide, but that's another debate. Many think the end of the England series is the right time. He might have gone earlier, but perhaps the timing of the Dravid Laxman decisions became a factor. If he stays on till the end of the Oz series, he deprives a successor to get some valuable experience in India in tough match conditions before getting a possible touring opportunity abroad.

POSTED BY
yoohoo
on | December 2, 2012, 11:34 GMT

@ LillianThomson - Well even ricky ponting does not have a 300 or 400. His highest is 257, while sachin's is 245 not out. A difference of 12 runs, but more importantly ponting was out, while sachin was not out. So, I guess Ponting is also over-rated?? Are you objective enough to say that? If you accept that ponting is also over-rated, then we will accept that sachin is over-rated.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 11:23 GMT

What was so great about Pointing's retirement was it was before the SL series where I am sure he could have scored some runs but it would rob the opportunity of grooming a youngster in home conditions.

Sachin IMO wont think like that , He will retire when he feels the time is right and not look at the interests of the team.

Pointing could really have played on for a year tbh , there arent players in aus knocking on the door. Not the case with India. Tiwary and Rahane have been waiting for ages now!

POSTED BY
alisaqib610
on | December 2, 2012, 10:58 GMT

I think Tendulkar should retire after the England test series so some other young player and come in.

POSTED BY
PhaniBhaskar24
on | December 2, 2012, 10:41 GMT

@ scott Jones: Spot on...Punter, Kallis really played the game in right spirit & earned victories for their respective countries...Like punter, even kallis may quit even if he feels that he is not able to bowl at his best. (leave batting alone). Those two will never hang just for records

POSTED BY
ruester
on | December 2, 2012, 10:36 GMT

Sach_is_life take your blinkers off. Your argument for Sachin makes no sense. Should he really be given 4 years in a test side and have his nation hope for a season form like Dravid had? What rubbish the Indian national side should pick the best players which Sachin is not and if he is, then India are really in trouble. Yes he was the second best batsman against England when all the batters apart from Dravid were destroyed by England seamers. Sachin I am afraid to say he is well past his sell by date. You know Sachin has had a terrible run for a long time now and its time to step down.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 10:35 GMT

Okay..So Mr. Chappell and some other people are saying that Sachin has played for personal glory and not for the team whereas Ponting and Kallis have produced match winning innings..

Well, to set it straight, I would like to say that unlike Ponting and Kallis's strong teams, Sachin had nothing for most of the part of his career..Sachin played for a handicapped team which neither had great batsmen nor bowlers and please don't even talk bout Indian fielding in the 90s... What did Ponting have? Waugh brothers, Mark Taylor, MICHAEL BEVAN..MIKE HUSSEY( two best finishers of the game ever--someone thinks I'm wrong???)

Kallis had GARY KIRSTEN, GIBBS, BOUCHER, JONTY RHODES etc.

Those who have ever played cricket must be knowing the act that..

NEVER CAN ONE PERSON WIN THE MATCH FOR A TEAM... SOMEONE HAS TO BE WITH HIM TO GUIDE THE TEAM TO A WIN..

and for most of his career, Sachin had no one..Check stats..watch the videos.you will know..!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 10:32 GMT

Tendulkar did a huge mistake by not retiring after winning 2011 worldcup , sadly he will retire now not by himself but bcoz of others pressure . . .

POSTED BY
Samar_Singh
on | December 2, 2012, 10:31 GMT

These two line are enough to explain why Tendulkar is not retiring.. I wonder what has he left to achieve.. Only playing for stats and record.. Pity U..
"Tendulkar's decline has gathered speed since he began to concern himself more with the statistical side of batting rather than constantly seeking to make match-winning contributions. The accumulation of centuries became his search for the Holy Grail,..."

POSTED BY
thenkabail
on | December 2, 2012, 10:19 GMT

DROP SACHIN: If Sachin does not announce retirement, he should be dropped. Otherwise it is grossly unfair ("it is not cricket"). I have more respect for sachin than anyone here. But, he has lost himself recently. We lost to Bangladesh and he was talking about his 100th hundred....I can go on. But there is something odd about sachin these days. He has lost his soul. Indeed, with Ravindra Jadeja being in such terrific form and Yuvraj back, we have a interesting situation of two batsman + spinners!. So, India team suddenly will have great balance. Look at a team like this: Gambhir, Shewag, Pujara, Kohli, Yuvraj, Jadeja, Dhoni, Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, baba aparjith, Ojha. Reserves: Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Unkut Chand,Ishant Sharma, Varon Aaron\Awana, Harmeet singh. There are few others. It is going to be a new team, so youngesters need to show up and perform!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 10:16 GMT

He should call it a day at least in ODIs. He choosing this format at his whim. They should drop him in ODIs to send a strong message.

POSTED BY
LillianThomson
on | December 2, 2012, 10:07 GMT

If you use Cricinfo's StatsGuru filter, you see that over the last 2 years (18 Tests) Tendulkar's average has been a poor 38, and in the last year (7 Tests) he averages a pathetic 22.83. In any other country he would already have been dumped, because - as Ponting described himself two days ago - he is no longer good enough. But Tendulkar has NEVER had any real insight into his achievements and limitations. I don't think there is a single non-ethnically Indian person on earth who recognises his absurd "100 international centuries" but to him it was a bona fide record. In fact, in spite of his vast longevity he isn't even close to joining the 25 men with 100 First Class centuries - he is stuck on 79, miles down the all-time record list. Whereas Brian Lara entered Test cricket a year after Sachin, and retired 5 years ago, he at least twice held the world batting record with 375 and 400 not out. Tendulkar has never even reached 250: even Wasim Akram scored a Test 257 not out! Overrated!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 9:52 GMT

well sachin is a stroke player and everytime he stops playing strokes he fails.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 9:30 GMT

Ponting and Kallis are leaps and bounds ahed of Tendulkar when it comes to making meaningful runs that have led to victory for their reswpective teams. Tendulkar appears obsessed with personal glory rather than winning Test matches. However, this is not entirely of his own making. A quiet tap on the shoulder by the Chariman of Selectors after the World Cup would have allowed Tendulkar to leave the game with some dignity - right now is a pitiful caricature of his former self.

POSTED BY
Sach_is_Life
on | December 2, 2012, 9:13 GMT

Look who z talking.. Ponting timed his retirement right? Really? u gotta be kidding me ..right? when was the last time he did something for Aus? Oh Yeah! against the world's best bowling line up, India in Aus. Look at his stats from 2009. If u leave his outstanding series against India, he has been pretty ordinary for a while now. OTOH, SRT has been magnificent all these yrs. Even though he struggled in Eng and Aus, he was india's second best batsmen on those two tours. In fact, he did well in those conditions when every other batsmen were struggling and YES. He looks out of sorts agnst NZ and now aganst Eng .. but give him a break. He knows what he is doing. If he think, he can bounce back .. he got every right to give it a try. After all these wonderful years, he definitely earned it. BTW, Dravid struggled for 4 yrs before having an wonderful 2011-12 and then retired, just like Ponting. So, if you think those 2 timed their retirements right, then plz stop talking abt Tendulkar.

POSTED BY
HURRICANE.Sehwag
on | December 2, 2012, 8:47 GMT

Whenever Sachin retires, he should not be replaced by useless players like Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina or Ravindra Jadeja. Ajinkya Rahane , Manoj Tiwary and Badrinath are the best possible options to get a winning combination .Unmukt Chand could be grooved into the side after he gains considerable experience in T20 and ODIs.

POSTED BY
fan_of_good_cricket
on | December 2, 2012, 8:41 GMT

@chauhan_india: Yes. Thats exactly what everyone has been saying. Leave him alone. Do not make him part of team.

POSTED BY
PhaniBhaskar24
on | December 2, 2012, 8:29 GMT

50th ODI Centuray + 200 test matches + a young indian much needed place in the team - Go sachin, go...you are a true legend unlike Lara, Punter, Dravid, Laxman who timed their farewell....

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 8:16 GMT

Surely Ian Chappell should keep his thoughts on Tendulkar's retirement too himself given he's got it badly wrong in the past?

POSTED BY
chauhan_india
on | December 2, 2012, 8:00 GMT

First of all i would like wish luck to Ricky for his future and thank him as well for the kind of consistency he showed in attaining "purest of aims: to help win the match for his team" (as u mentioned) in a typical Aussie manner.
Secondly and most impotantly u mentioned about tendulkar not dominating attacks any more...so the point which i want to make is that his is not doing this from all most last 10 years but still team was quite succesfull in that period.So the thing is that his role is not as a batsmen any its more of a mentor plus a senior batsmen.....i agree he is not able to perform for almost last 10 test or so.....but still there are others too who are struggling.....so plz leave him alone ....

POSTED BY
S.Jagernath
on | December 2, 2012, 7:50 GMT

And dropping to #4 is more cowardly than him being unsure about his ability against swing & seam.Ponting would have thought that he would boost his statistics batting at #4.Ponting was a brilliant batsmen though & deserved to choose when to retired & this was the perfect time.

POSTED BY
kensohatter
on | December 2, 2012, 7:48 GMT

@Hari Hari... Ponting certainly NOT dropped. He had support to take on the Sri Lankans in the next series but stepped aside due to what he described was under performance on his own part and not up to standard for the Australian cricket side. He also did so for the good of Australian cricket by allowing the next youngster to find his feet at test cricket before we take on the poms. Indian cricketers it seems are not built like this. Its not about whats best for Indian cricket it always seems more selfish than that. Dont get me wrong im a massive Tendaulker, Sehwag, Dravid and Laxman fan but in my humble opinion all hung (or are still hanging) around too long

POSTED BY
S.Jagernath
on | December 2, 2012, 7:46 GMT

Sachin Tendulkar is too old but still hasn't been as poor as Ricky Ponting has been.Ponting hasn't toured much recently,while Tendulkar played has played 4 tests in England & Australia since the World cup.Ponting has played at home mainly against poor attacks except for S.A,though the pitches have been ridiculously flat during this S.A series.Tendulkar's time to go is at the end of this English series.Ajinkya Rahane is the one waiting for that position & not Rohit Sharma.

POSTED BY
Budhaiya
on | December 2, 2012, 7:25 GMT

Mr. Chappell is 100 % right. Sachin is just playing for stupid statistics

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 7:24 GMT

I generally agree with most of Ian Chappell's assement but when he is wrong he is really wrong. As for Sachin perfect timing would have been 2011 WC win, he has been the highest run getter in ODI and test for a while now. Only thing left was a WC win, which he got in 2011. What else is their left to accomplish, perhaps an overseas test series win in SOuth Africa or Australia, which he has not yet tasted. But i doubt that will happen give the bowling attack. As for Ponting he was dropped from the ODI team earlier this year and would have been dropped from the test team if he didn't start getting runs soon. He had no other choice if he wanted to maintain his prestige. Regardless he had a long and successful career and will look back fondly on it.

POSTED BY
NiloyRoy
on | December 2, 2012, 7:20 GMT

It is absurd that people believe a guy can last 23 years at this level for the sake of statistical numbers. Comparing Sachin to Punter would be just as absurd. Tendulkar has been a symbol of India and deserves his own space and peace of mind to make the decision himself. Cricketing pundits need to find some other topic to discuss before they can advise the little master

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 7:16 GMT

does this logic apply to other feilds of life also.....in BOLLYWOOD n hollywood people in mid 40's can act....why can sachin bat at 39 , problim with indian media is tht they r not realistic in mumbai england simpply outplayed india now to vent frustation people r targetting sachin telme wot dhoni and other batsmen wre doing? if dhoni can take credit for world cup glory why cant he be labbled for white wash agnist england and australlia? .....

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 7:16 GMT

Mr Ian Chappell: Ricky Ponting is an Aussie. Sachin Tendulkar is an Indian. Before comparing the two (or adding Brian Lara in the comparison), think and re-think the Indian psyche. Sachin is on 192 Tests. India will 'probably' keep Sachin for another 8 more Tests to make it 200 Tests for an incing on the cake of Indian Glory. They kept Kapil Dev on the team just to cross Richard Hadlee where poor Kapil was limping at the end just like Sachin is at the moment.

Re-write another article on this issue after Sachin plays his 200th Test. I may be proved wrong, but the 200th Test is probably the unofficial deadline for Sachin to retire.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 7:13 GMT

Right Ian, thank you for Motivating Sachin again!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 6:55 GMT

Tendulkar should have retired from all forms of cricket after india won the world cup in Mumbai. That would have been well timed. Now it is clear that he doesn't want to retire and nobody in India. Selectors, bocci, media nobody has the guts to even suggest that he should retire. Pontings retirement means nothing to tendulkar.

POSTED BY
AzAb12754
on | December 2, 2012, 6:55 GMT

Whoever is downgrading Bradman needs to understand that Bradman is not just the greatest cricketer there has ever been but one of the greatest athletes in all sports. Sachin is a fantastic batsman one of the best as well and had honestly had 2 best periods to retire one when India won the World Cup and the other when he notched up his 100 100 but really, its upto him when to retire not us. Wish Sachin well!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 6:54 GMT

Ponting himself did not time his retirement right . He was dropped from the team before . So Ian please stop talking about Sachin .

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 6:53 GMT

As usual Ian is straight forward and honest in his opinion. Good article.

POSTED BY
kricket_baba
on | December 2, 2012, 6:49 GMT

I think Mr. Chappel should first write an article and explain how he thinks that Pointing has timed his retirement right He does not leave any chance to write against Sachin,

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 6:35 GMT

2 backtoback good articles..dravid on ponting was excellent..this one good too..1st on pontng-a fabulous batsman-hving all the shots-cuts drives trademark pulls..hs straight driving as exciting as sachin-& most important -excelled more often than not in big occasions(this is where he ranks ahead of sachin) -few instances-tore into india with 140+ in WC final 2003, 100no chasing 300+ v SA to win test in 4th inngs, 2 classy 200s v india in 2003,197 v pak at WACA vs wasim,shoaib,waqar after backto back ducks,match saving 156 v Eng 2005 ashes..when at his aggressive best most watchable batsman along with Lara..thank u ponting for all the entertainment...am not doubting sachin's ability..23 yrs in intlckt is no joke..but he's not above criticism..failed in crunch games too often-failed as a player in 2 WC finals & many other finals..cud not save test v Pak in 2005-,laxman dravid had been more productive in crunch games.& poor dravid made to open,keep wkts-& sachin(?).diff rules for him

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 6:29 GMT

Rightly said especially about the selection process and the century thirst

POSTED BY
GRVJPR
on | December 2, 2012, 6:26 GMT

Sachin Doesn't Know" How to Retire?" - A truly Great Players retires leaving an achievable challenge to his followers. Don Bradman could have played one more game and achieved an average of 100, but he didn't wait and announced his retirement in advance. On the contrary we have seen Sachin waiting and waiting for his hundredth hundred and not retiring with the fear of his records overtaken by someone else. Cocnlusion --- Only Sir Donald Bradman was Great, Please Don't Insult bradman by bracketinh him with sachin

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 6:22 GMT

Isn't this the same guy who wanted Sachin to retire right after the 2007 World Cup? Just saying.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 6:17 GMT

Reason why Tendulkar is playing is to get that 50th ODI hundred.That's why he isn't able to quit ODI also.If he quits ODI and continue playing Test then one can understand his desire to play a bit longer.But as Ian said it he hasn't been the same batsamn since he started playing for statistics.His real reason to play is that 50th ODI hundred.I really wish he fails every time he goes to bat now.

POSTED BY
Alexk400
on | December 2, 2012, 6:06 GMT

I think if sachin retire at calcutta i will be happy. 100000 people send off? There is no better place to retire than calcutta. Its time.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 6:05 GMT

I think India should be more concerned for finding a fast bowler than replacing Tendulkar. They have got Rohit Sharma, Raina, Chand, Rahane etc. and Kohli, Yuvraj and Pujara have just made it to the test side. It is right that sub-continent players do push their careers like Miandad or Kapil Dev did for records. However, I don't think Tendulkar needs to go that far for inspiration, he has seen Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman leave.

POSTED BY
CricketChat
on | December 2, 2012, 5:58 GMT

The right time for ST to retire had already passed. He should have retired right after India were blanketed in Eng last year when he with his vast experience was expected to lend support to Dravid when two other giants in Shewag and VVS failed to fire. It had been clear all along his prolonged slump that factors other than cricket were clouding his judgement. He has already denied the 'right' time for several youngsters. Even his fanatical and once staunch supporters are wishing for him to step aside and save himself from further humiliation. At this time, one can only hope common sense prevails soon.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 5:50 GMT

thats a good sign...Ian's articles are a good booster for the Master

POSTED BY
natasrik
on | December 2, 2012, 5:49 GMT

Not a bad analysis by Ian. I think Sachin probably have to think a lot before we finish the England series. Even if he gets some decent scores in the remaining two test he should step down and let the youngsters take the charge. The question of who is the replacement doesn't come into the equation. Pujara and Virat kohli can be his replacement and the rest of the guys can take care of the Indian team batting department (middle order) eg Tiwary, Raina, Yuvraj, Rohit, maybe give Kaif a decent run.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 5:48 GMT

Ponting retirement is not perfect also. If he has'nt taken retirement in this test, he was surely get out of the team from next series.

POSTED BY
vaidyar
on | December 2, 2012, 5:32 GMT

Not sure you can get away with mentioning Rohit Sharma and not having the word 'talented' or 'potential' in the same sentence. Skillful got divided between him and Chand so he gets only half the skill. You can expect to hear from his lawyers, Mr. Chappell.

POSTED BY
IndCricFan2013
on | December 2, 2012, 5:24 GMT

Ian, yes, sachin will play 200 tests, hence will go to SA. He wil score another 100 in ODI to make it 50. We want Sachin to wrap up, but we want him to get 200th test and 50th ODI ton. Even if he does not time the retirement, we will give him hte farewell with billon wishes.

POSTED BY
sun_also_rises
on | December 2, 2012, 5:22 GMT

I beg to differ! Ponting didn't time his retirement in a judicious manner at all. He had scored only 1059 runs in 19 matches at an average of 33.09 for the last two years. If you take out the 4 test matches he played against India, then he has scored only a derisory total of 515 runs in 27 innings at an average of 19.07. His retirement was long overdue. He should have retired when he was still pilling up runs like Lara who scored 1859 in his last 19 matches at an average of 53.11. Nevertheless he was a great batsman who will be remembered by cricket fans all around the world for years.....

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 5:22 GMT

very well said ian chappell.

POSTED BY
kh1902
on | December 2, 2012, 5:20 GMT

With the retirement of a great player like Ponting does there really have to be yet another article about Sachin Tendulkar? Indian cricket has alot more to worry about than him, namely the politicisation of the BCCI, regional factionalism and all the problems which emanate from these core issues. As the sun sets on a career as great as Ponting's, maybe the focus should be on him, instead of looking to denigrate another great player by assuming he plays for statistics, instead of love of country. Unless people can read Sachin Tendulkar's mind, I don't understand how they can make the blanket assumption that he plays for statistics. Noone would make such an accusation against an Australian or South African regardless of how they bat - unfortunately this points to the deeply entrenched attitudes which afflict the game.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 5:18 GMT

Fantastic article. Thanks Ian for such a timely piece.

POSTED BY
Rakerjnam
on | December 2, 2012, 5:15 GMT

Lol, Ian Chappell is at it again, asking players to retire. I distinctly remember him writing an article asking Tendulkar to stop "wasting his time and retire immediately" in 2007 : http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/287961.html.
After that Tendulkar has scored a double hundred in odis, won a World Cup, became the highest run scorer in Tests and scored a number of hundreds in both Tests and ODIs. So forgive me for not taking Chappell's opinions seriously.

POSTED BY
henchart
on | December 2, 2012, 5:07 GMT

You said it Ian.Dalai Lama could be replaced but Tendulkar cant be moved aside and even thought of he being asked to quit is considered a sin there.Over the hill,past his prime he continues to hover around on the might of his statistical achievements than current form.The Selectors along with media are to be blamed too.If he comes up with an unlikely century at the Eden the country especially media would again go ballistic claiming the Genius's time is not up yet and has got few more years of cricket left in him.The likes of Rahane are going to rot on the benches only if maestro decides to tour SA in late 2013.Dravid and VVS were virtually forced out but no one dare touch the maestro.Tendulkar should opt the Gavaskar way of quitting ,with head held high not the Kapil way with public asking when instead of why.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 5:02 GMT

Ponting times his retirement right??? I don't think so. He should have retired before India series so that a young batsman like Usman Khawaja had bashed India instead of Ponting. And agree, Tendulker should must take inspirations

POSTED BY
SOORYAPRAKASH
on | December 2, 2012, 5:02 GMT

Thank you Mr. Ian Chappell for your article. Because you had written a similar article immediately after the 2007 World Cup and the whole World witnessed Sachin's Second Wind. Now this will definitely trigger the THIRD. Unlike Ponting who just had 2/3 good tests gainst India, Sachin had had a great 3 to 3.5 years in Test Cricket. He had amassed the highest aggregate of Runs in Tests from the Mohali Test against Australia in 2008 till Sydney test in January this year. Thank you again Mr. Ian Chappell

POSTED BY
mrwolverine
on | December 2, 2012, 5:00 GMT

This is an excellent article. Ian Chappel knows what he's talking about and he makes sense.

POSTED BY
Sheela
on | December 2, 2012, 4:51 GMT

Tony Greig rightly stated that in India, players dont retire and they are thrown out. This is totally true except in a few very rare cases.

POSTED BY
SixoverSlips
on | December 2, 2012, 4:47 GMT

Mr. Chappell,Tendulkar is concerned himself with statistical side of things? Do you know him personally? You understand that is what he is thinking? If you are a journalist, analyze the game. You are just smearing if you talk like you know him personally.

POSTED BY
crickketlover
on | December 2, 2012, 4:44 GMT

Good article. SRT won't retire until he scores another century even if it takes another year!

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 4:40 GMT

Well said. I agree with Chappel regarding giving youngsters chance at the right time. Rohit Sharma was not given chance when Dravid and Laxman failed badly in Australia. Indians are emotional bunch more concerned about individual personalities than the team!

POSTED BY
SASANK360
on | December 2, 2012, 4:39 GMT

Tendulkar must time his retirement as national selectors are not in a mood to axe him. Although we were a bit late in grooming a youngster to take over no.4 spot from Tendulkar, still we have a chance due to availability of skillfull batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary or Ajinkya Rahane. There is no use roping Badri into the XI as he is a short-term solution.
To replace a player of Tendulkar's calibre you need youngsters with many skills and apparently no weaknesses. As Chappell mentioned Ponting,in his last years, did Australian Cricket many favours by dropping down to no.4, where as Sachin held on to the dear position and put his team management under severe pressure.
Anyway retirement is a player's call and axing/dropping is selectors call. Hope Sachin take his call first.

POSTED BY
Romenevans
on | December 2, 2012, 4:37 GMT

"There were three"? Kallis is still there and rate him above punter and Stat'chin...and hey watch out! COOK is coming fast.

POSTED BY
Arrow011
on | December 2, 2012, 4:37 GMT

Ian your article is leading nowhere, first check the ongoing ranji trophy for contributions made by Rohit Sharma & Unmukt Chand who are having an less than ordinary season. You have mentioned the youngster's time will pass if Sachin is still there then what good are they, if they are form based players? Sachin cannot reap gold always, only this year he has struggled in 23 years of cricket, we fans are not so stone hearted, let him continue. As regards your undeserving glorification of Australia's famed fast bowlers who you think Australia can trade for Rohit or Unmukt for their batting talent, then again you got it wrong, the famed Australian pace bowlers in pacy pitches of australia have not been able to dismiss South Africa this tour, as I am typing South Africa are clobbering Australian bowlers at a rapid pace in Perth. If you can check it is 315/3 (RR 5.15). Sachin can never be compared with low rank Ponting who was unable to bat in Sub-continent.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 4:31 GMT

Mr. Ian Chappell, as much as i revere Sachin Tendulkar as player and worship his game like my religion but there are sky and land differences between him and Dalai Lama. A player like him will be replaced sooner or later but a leader like Dalai Lama will never ever be replaced nor will they be someone who'll ever close to his caliber or personality. Long Live His Holiness Dalai Lama and lets just hope Sachin doesnt retire too soon in near future.

POSTED BY
siddharth_r2001
on | December 2, 2012, 4:26 GMT

Kudos Ian! Finally someone has come out said what has been glaringly obvious for a long, long time - that Sachin has only been chasing statistics and centuries and records! In my opinion, he wants to be absolutely sure that his records will stand for eons to come. He also knew that Ponting and Kallis were the only 2 batsmen who could beat, or come anywhere near to his record of test centuries and test runs. Now that Ponting has decided to retire, that's half the worry gone. I bet as soon as Kallis announces his retirement, Sachin will follow suit not too much later!!

POSTED BY
CarDroid
on | December 2, 2012, 4:23 GMT

The only thing Indian fans are holding their breath for is for Tendulkar to just walk away with whatever grace that's left. Most fans who understand cricket have realised long time ago that there cannot be an arrest to his downward spiral. If England wins the series against India, they would have done us a huge favor - a home defeat at the hands of England will force the selectors to earn their pay.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 4:11 GMT

Mr.Chappell, how is Ponting retirement timed right. I thought right time is considered when the batsmen is on top of the game (Gilchrist, Lara). Ponting has been struggling for pats couple of years. Please stop backing players of your liking and preference. Only a player can decide his fate not anyone else. Ponting cannot decide Tendulkar's retirement only Tendulkar can. And he might be an old engine but sometimes old engine is the one that gets you home when the newer stuff is shiny from outside but full of technical faults.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 4:00 GMT

Let us not speculate and allow him to decide when he wishes to retire, If B.C.C.I. or selection board finds him not suitable to be in team , no one is stopping them to drop him but please do not put words in his mouth to retire before time. He is capable of making record of hitting 100 as oldest cricketer too, which he has recently showed in domestic cricket .

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 4:00 GMT

Great article Ian !! Sachin should now retire... he wanted 100 centuries and World Cup, he got both.... now let Tiwarys, Sharmas and Rahanes get the chance to shine. Or better yet, maybe India finds another Tendulkar .... he seems to be playing without his heart, under pressure from sponsors and politicians to play..

POSTED BY
Al_Bundy1
on | December 2, 2012, 3:55 GMT

The best time for Tendulkar to retire has passed. He missed a golden opportunity to retire at the top of his game after World Cup 2011. He had another chance after completing his 100th ton in Asia Cup. He fluffed that chance too. Now he looks like a walking wicket that refuses to go out with dignity. I am afraid he will suffer more humiliations before he decides to retire.

POSTED BY
SASANK360
on | December 2, 2012, 3:51 GMT

As usual a superb article from Ian Chappell. Yes, Tendulkar must time his retirement.
But actually it is the selectors who need to take a call on his place in the side...His drop from the side should be an indicative of his fading career....as he continues to be snubbed , he will someday announce his retirement....

POSTED BY
isot
on | December 2, 2012, 3:51 GMT

I have always enjoyed watching Sachin and Ponting and comparing them but I can't fully agree with Chappel here about Ponting's timing being right and Tendulkar's not being so. Ponting's been on the radar for a long time too like Sachin and both have been facing criticism (perhaps Ponting since earlier than Sachin). But the amount of media space and time dedicated to Sachin is magnitudes higher. Every cricket analyst all over the world has something to say about Sachin and add to this, the independent opinions of a billion Indians which sway from one extreme to the other with every successful/bad innings Sachin plays. There's no denying that Ponting's been a great player and his choice of retirement has been a wise one. But that decision is a lot tougher when you have every Tom, Dick and Harry constantly criticize every step of yours and you know the only way to deal with all the fuss is to ignore them. So not quite right to compare Sachin and Ponting in this regard.

POSTED BY
CricketIsnotlife
on | December 2, 2012, 3:51 GMT

Chappell has spoken the bitter truth about Tendulkar staying on just for statistical reasons.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 3:39 GMT

Ponting retired that does not mean that Sachin would follow the suit. Both of them are of different talent, type and style. If One does not feel comfortable to go ahead with own talent, type and style, withdrawal is the best possible option. But if someone is mentally strong enough to adapt to changes then why not back him a support. May b the adaptation is a bit slower than ever but he has not yet given up trying.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 3:28 GMT

As far as Ponting's case is concerned he had hit bad form in 2008 and never recoved from it his avg dropped from 57 to 52 (i.e. by 5 points in this period) eventually he retired after 4 years of struggle...........Dravid began struggling in 2007 & his avg dropped from 58 to 52 before he retired.............Sachin has had only a coulple of years of struggle in which his avg has drpped from 57 to 55 ..............Let him struggle for another couple of years & let his avg drop 5 points to 52 before comparing him to Poting or Dravid and asking him to retire

No featured comments at the moment.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 3:28 GMT

As far as Ponting's case is concerned he had hit bad form in 2008 and never recoved from it his avg dropped from 57 to 52 (i.e. by 5 points in this period) eventually he retired after 4 years of struggle...........Dravid began struggling in 2007 & his avg dropped from 58 to 52 before he retired.............Sachin has had only a coulple of years of struggle in which his avg has drpped from 57 to 55 ..............Let him struggle for another couple of years & let his avg drop 5 points to 52 before comparing him to Poting or Dravid and asking him to retire

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 3:39 GMT

Ponting retired that does not mean that Sachin would follow the suit. Both of them are of different talent, type and style. If One does not feel comfortable to go ahead with own talent, type and style, withdrawal is the best possible option. But if someone is mentally strong enough to adapt to changes then why not back him a support. May b the adaptation is a bit slower than ever but he has not yet given up trying.

POSTED BY
CricketIsnotlife
on | December 2, 2012, 3:51 GMT

Chappell has spoken the bitter truth about Tendulkar staying on just for statistical reasons.

POSTED BY
isot
on | December 2, 2012, 3:51 GMT

I have always enjoyed watching Sachin and Ponting and comparing them but I can't fully agree with Chappel here about Ponting's timing being right and Tendulkar's not being so. Ponting's been on the radar for a long time too like Sachin and both have been facing criticism (perhaps Ponting since earlier than Sachin). But the amount of media space and time dedicated to Sachin is magnitudes higher. Every cricket analyst all over the world has something to say about Sachin and add to this, the independent opinions of a billion Indians which sway from one extreme to the other with every successful/bad innings Sachin plays. There's no denying that Ponting's been a great player and his choice of retirement has been a wise one. But that decision is a lot tougher when you have every Tom, Dick and Harry constantly criticize every step of yours and you know the only way to deal with all the fuss is to ignore them. So not quite right to compare Sachin and Ponting in this regard.

POSTED BY
SASANK360
on | December 2, 2012, 3:51 GMT

As usual a superb article from Ian Chappell. Yes, Tendulkar must time his retirement.
But actually it is the selectors who need to take a call on his place in the side...His drop from the side should be an indicative of his fading career....as he continues to be snubbed , he will someday announce his retirement....

POSTED BY
Al_Bundy1
on | December 2, 2012, 3:55 GMT

The best time for Tendulkar to retire has passed. He missed a golden opportunity to retire at the top of his game after World Cup 2011. He had another chance after completing his 100th ton in Asia Cup. He fluffed that chance too. Now he looks like a walking wicket that refuses to go out with dignity. I am afraid he will suffer more humiliations before he decides to retire.

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 4:00 GMT

Great article Ian !! Sachin should now retire... he wanted 100 centuries and World Cup, he got both.... now let Tiwarys, Sharmas and Rahanes get the chance to shine. Or better yet, maybe India finds another Tendulkar .... he seems to be playing without his heart, under pressure from sponsors and politicians to play..

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 4:00 GMT

Let us not speculate and allow him to decide when he wishes to retire, If B.C.C.I. or selection board finds him not suitable to be in team , no one is stopping them to drop him but please do not put words in his mouth to retire before time. He is capable of making record of hitting 100 as oldest cricketer too, which he has recently showed in domestic cricket .

POSTED BY
on | December 2, 2012, 4:11 GMT

Mr.Chappell, how is Ponting retirement timed right. I thought right time is considered when the batsmen is on top of the game (Gilchrist, Lara). Ponting has been struggling for pats couple of years. Please stop backing players of your liking and preference. Only a player can decide his fate not anyone else. Ponting cannot decide Tendulkar's retirement only Tendulkar can. And he might be an old engine but sometimes old engine is the one that gets you home when the newer stuff is shiny from outside but full of technical faults.

POSTED BY
CarDroid
on | December 2, 2012, 4:23 GMT

The only thing Indian fans are holding their breath for is for Tendulkar to just walk away with whatever grace that's left. Most fans who understand cricket have realised long time ago that there cannot be an arrest to his downward spiral. If England wins the series against India, they would have done us a huge favor - a home defeat at the hands of England will force the selectors to earn their pay.